When The Heart Bleeds
by shadow-fire3
Summary: It's hard to know who is right, who to trust and what to believe. Kitty has changed, along with everyone else. Something terrible has been set in motion but no one has any idea on how bad the road is going to get.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer - I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. I will not make any money off of this story.

When the Heart Bleeds.

By Shadow-Fire

__

Prologue

Ghosts of the past haunted her every move making her relive the worse moments of her life. She screamed defiance but the ghosts just laughed at her, scorning her and making her hurt more. It became so bad that she just sat there, in the small room and stared blankly ahead. The voices echoing in her mind.

"I'm not here" she would whisper over and over until her voice went hoarse and she could no longer speak.

"I am back in the Institute. I will see Kurt hanging from the chandelier and Professor X will come in and say something wise" she would sometimes mutter until someone would come along and tell her to shut up.

She could no longer recall who she was, day after day it was becoming harder to discern illusion from reality. The clothes she wore were unfamiliar and her hair had grown longer, not that she cared. Nothing mattered anymore. Nobody knew where she was. No one was coming to save her. She was alone.

Every day blended into the other and she could only rock gently and scream at the ghosts that tortured her mind. She was broken in more ways than one and she didn't know if she could ever be herself again. 

At the beginning she had fought, she had tried to attack and escape but they were always there. They would play with her mind and her body making her slowly lose grip on reality. She couldn't even use her powers; they had done something to her. A drug or something but she couldn't recall. 

She had dreamed up various scenarios where Scott and the others would come and save her. She believed that they were looking for her and they were going to save her any day now. But when they didn't come she began to lose hope. After the first month had passed she had given up any chance of a rescue. She was trapped and alone except for the ghosts of the past.

"Get up" a rough voice growled.

She stood up immediately; she always did what she was told. They would hurt her if she didn't obey and she didn't like being hurt. 

"Move" was the next command and she felt something hit her in the back. 

Shuffling forwards she went where she was told.

"Look at her. She's screwed up" someone said but she didn't understand what they were saying. 

The ghosts were back and they were mocking her. They were telling her things that she couldn't believe.

"Stop lying to me" she screamed and fell to her knees when someone hit her over the back.

Whimpering she curled into a ball. She didn't want to live anymore. She didn't want to be tested. She didn't want to be played with and she didn't want the ghosts to talk anymore. She wanted them out of her head. 

"Get up girlie or you'll hurt more" the same gruff voice ordered.

Not wanting to move but not wanting to get hurt she dragged herself up slowly. Her face was covered in mottled bruises and there were scratches over her arms. 

"That's a girl" the voice said.

She didn't acknowledge it.

She was led to the same room as always and once inside the tests would begin. The same as last time and the time before that. First came the questions then came the pain and last cam the relief of unconsciousness.

"Sit down and shut up" her tormentor said before leaving her in the room.

She blinked and sat in the chair that they always made her sit in. If she were alone for too long the ghosts would come and she would have to yell and scream. Then they would come and they would hurt her for disrupting them. They would make her bleed and cry until she had no more will left to do anything.

Others had been in this room. She had heard them scream, cry and beg. They wanted their freedom as well but they knew that they weren't going to get it. They were treated like animals, like test subjects. 

"How are we today, Katherine?" a false voice asked.

She didn't respond. She hardly ever did any more. The first time she joked and lashed out. She tried to escape and she hurt some people but now she just sat there as if she were just a shell.

"Test subject 452. 

Name: Katherine Pryde.

Age: 18

Species: Mutant

Abilities: Corporal Tangibility" A mechanical voice rattled off.

The girl looked up, her eyes not seeing anything. She didn't react in any way. She watched as the doctors crowded in and began to hurt her. Even then she said nothing. It was only when she heard the ghosts that she began to scream and scream and scream.


	2. Haunted By The Past

Disclaimer - I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. I will not make any money off of this story.

A/N - A warm thanks to all that reviewed and to all those who read it as well. Italics are used for flashback scenes etc.

__

Chapter One

She opened her eyes slowly and waited for the sudden assault of light to hit her. Every time it was the same that now the days were just a blur. She could barely remember her past and was scared to think of her future. The only thing that she was sure of was her name. Kitty Pryde.

She drew her knees to her chest and hummed to herself, waiting for them to come and get her. She began to rock gently, trying to calm herself and keep the bad memories away.

When they didn't arrive Kitty began to worry; it wasn't like them to be late. They were always punctual when they were performing their tests. She stood up after a while and began to pace around her room. She brought her hands up to her mouth and began to chew on her nails. 

Kitty looked around her small room and tried to recall why she was there. The ghosts that had tortured her over the past months were still trying to break her but on this morning something was different. The fog that seemed to cloud her brain was straining to lift. 

"Hey, I'm still in here" she yelled sharply and banged on the door.

She was startled when her hand went right through the door. Her mind was reeling as she backed away from the door and lost her footing. She fell in a heap on the ground and looked at her hand as if it was not part of her.

"Shadowcat" she whispered under her breath. 

Real memories were starting to clamber for attention in the caverns of her mind.

"Hey, goddamn you. Let me out of here" she jumped up and starting banging on the wall again, hoping that her hand would go through.

The door flew open after five minutes of her yelling and it threw her back into the wall. To surprised to think let alone try to phase her hit hard and fell to the ground gasping for air. Before she could register who was in the room she felt a sharp pinch in her arm and the world began to swim.

"I must apologise for being late my dear Katherine. I hope you weren't too worried" she heard a familiar voice whisper into her ear.

"I'm a free person. I shouldn't be here" she tried to say but her mouth felt as if it was full of cotton.

She felt someone lift her up and then the ghosts returned in full force.

__

"See ya Kurt. I'll be late to school and unless you are willing to let me drive your car I have to walk" Kitty said with a grin.

"Well you better start walking then" Kurt replied with a laugh.

Kitty frowned at him before laughing and making her way to Bayville High School. It was Friday and tonight she would be going home to Northbrook and seeing her parents.

Feeling on top of the world she skipped to school. She breezed through the classes and even had a good session in gym. 

"It must be the looming holiday's" she mused to herself.

It was strange being the oldest of the X-Men at high school. Jean and Scott were off at university, Kurt was training at the Institute and Rogue was travelling. 

"Hey, Kitty wait up" she heard someone yell.

Turning she saw Amara running towards her.

"Amara, what's the rush?"

"Haven't you been listening to the news?" Amara said as she slowed to a walk.

"Nope, I've been having to good of a day" Kitty smiled.

"The whole mutant thing has been obtaining a lot of votes. I don't think there are a lot of mutant friendly people out there" Amara frowned.

"Yeah. Things are definitely going down hill" she heard another voice behind her.

She saw Ray, Sam and Roberto now walking beside her.

"I think we better skip class and make our way back to the Institute. Things are not looking good" Bobby interrupted as he ran towards them.

Kitty's eyes widen as she took in their worried faces.

"Um...yeah I guess" she frowned not quite understanding what was going on.

"Do you want me to call Kurt or Dr. McCoy?" Amara said, wielding a cell phone.

"Sure, we'll start walking towards the Institute as you talk."

The small group of them quickly made their way towards the Institute.

Kitty felt her elation begin to wane the closer they got to the Institute. Everywhere she looked she saw anti-mutant signs and angry looking people. 

"I see what you mean" Kitty muttered.

It had been a couple of years since the world had learned about mutants and most of them had thought that people would forget about the so-called 'mutant threat'. Everything had settled down after the initial year although many people still harboured a stupid fear of mutants. 

"How did it get so bad so fast?" she heard Sam's soft voice drawl.

"I think it has always been quite bad but we just didn't realise how bad until now" Roberto replied.

"Hey, Kurt's coming to get us. The Professor agreed that it would be a good idea for us to stay away from school for awhile" Amara told them as she shoved her phone back into her bag.

They kept walking and kept an eye out for Kurt. Kitty felt her skin crawl and realised that someone was watching them.

"Don't look now but we are being followed" Bobby said in a hushed voice.

Kitty felt her back tense up and she watched as everyone else seemed to change their posture as well. She was very worried now and she didn't like the way her day had turned.

When Kurt came roaring around the corner she relaxed visibly until she saw the look on his face. He pulled over and they all piled in.

"Hey all" he said, grinning slightly.

"Hey Kurt. What's wrong?" Kitty asked as she hopped into the passenger seat.

"Rogue's back at the Institute. She's in a bad way" was all Kurt said.

The ride back to the Institute was quick and barely under the speed limit. Everyone jumped out and they all wore equal looks of worry.

"Kurt, where is she?" Kitty demanded. 

You could not share a room with someone without becoming close. 

"In the infirmary but the Professor wants to see you first, Kitty" Kurt explained.

Kitty rushed into the mansion and went in search for the Professor. 

"Professor, what's wrong?" Kitty asked when she found him sitting in the study.

"I was wondering if you still wanted to go home to visit your parents?" he asked, staring intently at her.

"I have too, Professor. I promised them" Kitty said, trying to sound brave.

"That's fine. I will arrange for Ororo to take you to the airport. The other students are staying here for their holidays and you are welcome to come back at any time. I must caution you however as mutants are becoming a strong topic in the news once again."

Kitty paced around the room for a moment, thinking about her situation. She didn't want to leave the Institute at the time being but she had promised her parents that she would go home for a visit.

"I understand Professor. I will call you when I get home. Can I please go and see Rogue now" she asked before running out of the room without waiting for an answer.

She phased through the floor straight down into the infirmary to find Kurt sitting next to Rogue who was propped up in bed. Her face was pale and her eyes held a pain that frightened Kitty.

"Oh my god Rogue. What happened?"

"Ah don't want to talk about it" she said softly.

Kitty sat down in a chair next to Kurt and they talked about random things until Dr. McCoy came in a told her that she had to get ready to go.

"See you later, Rogue" Kitty said in a sad voice. 

Rogue hadn't said anything about what had happened to her and Kitty hadn't pressured her. She was just happy to see her friend. 

Running to her room she threw some clothes into her bag and rushed downstairs to find Ororo waiting for her in the X-Jeep. 

"Sorry Storm. I was talking to Rogue" she explained and watched as Ororo lifted and eyebrow before getting into the jeep.

Twenty minutes later Kitty found herself sitting on a plane on her way to Chicago. Glad to be next to a window she shoved her headphones on over her head and listened to some of the Diva's. She hummed a few notes and nibbled on the stuff that they called food. 

She was glad when the plane landed and was relieved to see that there wasn't a large crowd at the airport. She looked for her parents and couldn't see them anywhere and that was when she felt as if she was being watched. It was the same feeling that she had had earlier in that day.

Turning around in a circle she tried to see if anyone looked suspicious. Pulling her jacket tightly over her shoulders and grabbing her bag she made her way to the front of the building. She found herself suddenly wishing that there were more people in the arrival bay. 

She avoided eye contact and stood out of the way. Feeling really uneasy she went to the phones and was fishing about for some change when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Turning sharply she found her mouth covered with a strange smelling cloth. She tried to phase through the cloth but her senses were getting fuzzy. She tried to shout for help but her mouth wasn't working. The world began to spin then darkness descended.


	3. Troubled By The Future

Disclaimer - I do not own X-Men: Evolution or X-Men is any way, shape or form. They belong to their respected owners. I will not make any money from this story.

A/N - Thanks for your patience. I had writer's block for a while there. Hope you enjoy. ~Denotes telepathic thought... 

When the Heart Bleeds

Chapter Two

Kurt Wagner listened as the Priest spoke of love for God and for fellow men and he was troubled by the Priest's words. At this time when mutants were feared and hated Kurt was troubled by a lot - especially Kitty's disappearance. He sat in the back of the church, away from others in case his secret was revealed.

With Kitty being missing and mutant hysteria at an all time high everyone at the Institute was on high alert. The Professor had called Jean and Scott back from college, which showed how worried he was about the present situation.

Rogue was also at the Institute but she was there to recover - even now, nine months since Kitty's disappearance. She was still troubled by what she had seen and what had happened to her. She hadn't talked about it much either, which was another worry that Kurt had to add to his ever-growing pile.

Kurt didn't know what to make of everything so he had ended up at the Church where he was currently sitting in to try and collect his thoughts. He was so deep in thought that he didn't realise that everyone was leaving.

"Are you okay, my son?" he heard a gentle voice ask.

Startled by the sudden interruption he jumped out of his seat.

"I'm sorry, father. You startled me" Kurt apologised when he realised what had happened.

"That's quite all right. You are new here, am I correct?"

"Ja, Father. I needed a place to think and reflect" Kurt replied honestly.

"You seem deeply troubled for one so young."

Kurt was surprised by how insightful the young Priest seemed to be. He seemed to see things that most people overlooked.

"My friend - she has been kidnapped. We have been searching for her but we have yet to find any trace."

"Have faith, my son," the Priest said sagely," I must go now but you are welcome here any time."

Kurt thanked the man and walked out into the warm autumn air. The day was golden and bright making the walk back to the Institute comfortable. He found himself praying that there would be some news of Kitty's abductors when he arrived back at the Institute.

He teleported from the gate to the kitchen, startling some of the newer students by his sudden appearance. Most were used to him appearing everywhere but some still jumped.

"Kurt, sir. The Professor wants to see you" one of the younger and braver students told him.

"Thank-you, Paige" he said, recognising Sam Guthrie's younger sister.

Kurt quickly ported tot he Professor's study where he startled Scott but not the Professor.

"Ah, Kurt, I am glad that you received my message" the Professor said.

"You have some news?" he asked hopefully.

"I would like you, Scott, Bobby and Amara to go to Northbrook. Someone claims to have some information about Kitty. Jean, Rogue and Jamie are already there."

Kurt felt as if his prayers had been answered and before anybody could say anything Kurt had teleported to the hanger where he was ready and waiting when the others arrived.

"Come on, slowpokes" he grinned.

He noticed that everyone else seemed to be in higher spirits as well. This was the best piece of news that they had had in nine months.

"Calm down, Kurt" Scott warned and Kurt wanted to poke his tongue out at him. Scott always had to be the voice of reason.

"Hey man, cut him some slack - we're all excited" Bobby said, passing a grin to Kurt.

They piled into the Blackbird and buckled in.

"Everyone ready?"

Kurt nodded and heard the other two answer.

"Let's go" Kurt said, impatiently.

~*~

Jean sat on a rather uncomfortable sofa that belonged to the person who claimed to have seen Kitty. She was excited by the possibility but also very worried. Rogue sat to her left and Jamie was waiting for Scott and the others to arrive. In an armchair directly in front of her sat a large woman with a pug nose and rather small eyes. 

"Ma'am, is this the girl you saw at the airport?" Jean asked, holding up a picture of Kitty. While at the same time she probed the woman's mind.

"That's her. She was standing by the phones when a tall man came up behind her and tapped the poor girl on her shoulder. The next thing I knew it looked like the girl had passed out in the man's arms."

"Did anything else happen, that you remember?" Jean inquired.

"Come to think of it, the man carried the girl out to a black van. I didn't see a license plate. It was rather strange" the lady said.

Jean probed her mind again, trying to extract anymore information from the lady's memory. So far everything the lady had said had been true but Jean was still feeling worried. Something about the lady seemed wrong.

~Rogue, will you 'tap' her please? ~ Jean asked the girl telepathically.

Jean watched as Rogue rose and walked over to the lady. 

"Thanks for your help, ma'am" Rogue said in her southern drawl while holding out her hand to shake.

Jean watched as the lady took the hand offered and saw her eyes roll back into her head as she slumped into unconsciousness.

"Shall we go?" Jean asked as she saw Rogue shudder from the sudden influx of memories.

"Wait just a minute. Something ain't right."

Jean frowned and started to pace - she was starting to get a bad feeling, which intensified as she saw Jamie appear at every window in sight. His face worried as he shouted a warning.

"Someone sent a decoy" Rogue said, her voice sounding like the, now unconscious, lady.

"It's a trap!" Jean exclaimed in surprise as the door exploded.

Raising a hand Jean stopped any of the debris from hitting either her or Rogue.

"They have Kitty and they want us" Jean told Rogue as their intentions flooded her mind.

Rogue stood in a defensive stance as Jean began to throw various objects at the people trying to get in. Rogue took out all those who made in through.

"Where's Jamie?" Rogue yelled.

Jean searched with her mind to locate Multiple. 

"Outside - holding his own against five people" Jean said through clenched teeth.

The men were dressed in black and they had weapons. She saw one man take aim at Rogue - whose back was turned as she dealt with another attacker.

"Rogue Duck" Jean screamed and threw up her hand making a telekinetic shield form around the gun.

"We have a problem" Jean heard Rogue mutter.

Jean couldn't respond, as she was busy concentrating on so many things at one. She didn't notice an armed man take aim at her. She did, however, feel a sharp pain in her neck as something hit her. Losing concentration she fell to the ground and gingerly reached a hand up to her neck. She pulled away what looked like a small tranquilliser dart.

Her eyes were getting heavy and she tried to force them open. She heard Rogue scream obscenities at their attackers then she thought she saw a bright red flash.

"Scott" she mumbled before losing consciousness.

~*~

Bobby was already in his ice form as they landed the X-Jet. He noted that Amara was in her flame form and that Kurt was up and moving. They had arrived in time to see Multiple fighting five people at once while several of his forms lay on the ground apparently unconscious.

"Let's go" he yelled the minute the door opened and was sliding down a slide of ice towards the melee. He smelled brimstone and saw Kurt appear and disappear rapidly, taking out various fighters with a single punch or a flick of his tail.

Bobby encased some of the attacker's feet in ice and saw bright red flashes and realised that Scott was making his way to the house.

"Magma, on your right!" Bobby shouted out a warning when he saw someone pointing a gun at her.

"Got it" Magma gave him thumbs up as she melted the gun.

Bobby felt something hit his arm and saw a small metal thing sticking out of the ice that covered his body.

"Hey that's not fair" he exclaimed before encasing the guy's feet in ice.

Before long everyone outside was either unconscious or immobile.

"All right" Bobby said giving Kurt and Amara high five's. 

~*~

Scott rushed into the house and saw Jean unconscious on the floor with a small trickle of blood on her neck. Across the room he heard Rogue fighting but he saw that she was tiring. He quickly blasted those who were still standing before rushing to Jean's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked Rogue while checking on Jean.

"Nothing some ice won't fix" he drawled but he heard the tiredness in her voice.

"What happened?" he asked as he lifted Jean light form.

"Decoy - trap. The lady was the decoy and the house was the trap" Rogue mumbled.

Scott walked towards the door when Kurt suddenly appeared.

"Kurt, can you 'port Rogue into the jet? We have to get out of here before reinforcement comes" Scott asked as he carried Jean.

To Be Continued...


	4. Wanted Desires

Disclaimer - I do not own X-Men: Evolution or X-Men. They belong to their respected owners. I will not make any money from this story.

A/N - Gosh thanks for all the lovely reviews. They are very kind. 

Chapter Three.

Aidan Kale was more than furious. He walked around the house in a cloud of seething fury. Everywhere he looked he saw his operatives unconscious or waiting for the ice encasing their legs to melt.

"I was promised three new test subjects. Where the hell are they?" he demanded.

"They had reinforcements, sir" a man tried to explain meekly.

Aidan looked at him taking note of the bruises covering his face before striking out at him. His fist landed on his nose, which broke instantly. The man cried out in shock and stumbled backwards reaching a hand up to staunch the flow of fresh blood.

"Anyone else care to explain?" Aidan asked in an icy tone.

"Sir, we were only expecting three mutants but four more arrived. None of which we were prepared for, sir!" another man attempted to explain. 

Aidan smiled wryly as he watched the man salute and stand at attention. 

"Very well" he said in an even tone.

He looked around the yard seeing the melted remains of his weapons and the injured operatives trying not to look incapable before storming into the house.

The inside looked wore than the outside. There was rubbish everywhere and the front door had been completely blown off its hinges. On one of the chairs lay the unconscious form of a large lady.

"Will she wake up soon?" he asked one of the many scientists who were busy studying the room.

"We assume so. It looks as if one of the mutants can render people unconscious with the touch of their hands" one explained.

Aidan looked at the scientist, recognising him as Dr. Kyle Morgan, one of his leading scientists. He had experimented with the few mutants that they had captured. 

"Very interesting. Can you tell what other powers these mutants might have had?" he asked in a disgusted tone. 

Mutants were a threat and he couldn't wait to rid the world of them but first he was quite content to experiment on them. It was fun to see how long they could last before breaking.

Dr. Morgan looked up with startled eyes and Aidan suppressed a laugh. Most of the people who worked for him where terrified of him and it was amusing to see that this fear had begun to rub off on the more intelligent members of his operation. 

"I believe one was telekinetic, very strongly so. One of them could multiply himself, according to one of the injured men. Then four more arrived. One can obviously create ice and another fire or very hot temperatures at the least. One blasted lasers from his eyes and they other was a teleporter" the Doctor explained.

Aidan listened carefully and mused over all these powers. 

"Is that all?"

"Well, sir. According to some of the men the mutant that could teleport looked vastly different to everyone. Some have reported seeing a tail, blue fur, glowing eyes and the list goes on."

"Very interesting" Aidan interrupted.

"Also they seemed to be wearing a similar design. Those who came to help. They all had the letter X somewhere on their clothing as if they were all part of a team or operation" he finished.

Aidan smiled slightly at this and he saw the Doctor flinch. 

"Very good. It's a pity we couldn't capture any of the mutants but there is always next time. Now I heard that one of the other teams captured a mutant outside of California shall we go and investigate?"

~*~

Jean woke with a start and stifled a scream. At first she didn't know where she was but as her sight began to clear she found herself staring at the familiar features of the Institute's infirmary. She reached up to her neck and found that a small bandage was lightly wrapped around her neck.

"Miss Grey, it is lovely to see you awake. How are you feeling?" she heard someone ask.

Turning her head slightly she saw Mr. McCoy standing beside her.

"My head feels fuzzy" she said, her voice coming out as a croak.

She coughed to clear her throat and tried again.

"What happened?" she asked, confused.

Something definitely felt wrong but she couldn't work out what it was.

"You where attacked and you got hit with a tranquilliser dart. A very primal form of weapon at their best but the one you got hit with was very advanced" Hank explained.

"Are the others all right?"

"Yes they are quite fine but I do believe Scott was quite worried about you" Hank chuckled.

Jean smiled wryly and sank back into the bed. Her mind was still feeling rather foggy.

"What was in the dart?" she asked as her eyes began to get really heavy.

"It was some form of sedative. It will wear off eventually" Mr. McCoy told her.

"Oh" she replied before falling back into a deep sleep.

~*~

Hank McCoy was very troubled by today's events. He was very protective of his students, as were Logan, Storm and the Professor. With Kitty being abducted and other reports of mutants disappearing he was worried about what might happen next. 

Over the last few months various anti-mutant groups had started up all over the United States and in Europe. Rallied were being held all the time and what was worse some of this groups had the support of many high ranking politicians. Not all of them, mind you, just some of them.

With these latest events in mind he went in search of the Professor.

~I'm here, Hank. In my study~ 

Hank made his way to the study only to find that Logan was there as well.

"Logan, old friend. How long have you been back?"

"A couple of hours" he grunted in reply.

"Any luck?"

"No sign of the half-pint anywhere" he growled.

Logan had gone searching for Kitty trying to trace her sent.

"So we assume that who ever has her knew that we may come looking for her?"

"I'm not that sure, Hank," Xavier began, " and I get the feeling that they are very proficient in their objective. That drug that was in the dart, was I correct?"

"Yes. I don't think Jean has noticed yet. It isn't permanent though because that would defeat the purpose of the study. I think they use that to capture and transport but when they have them they keep them on a different drug. One that is not so potent."

"That would explain why I have not been able to locate Kitty using Cerebro" Xavier said.

"They want more mutants to experiment on. That's why they tricked Jean and the rest into going there. The strange thing is that Rogue confirmed the woman's story when she 'tapped' her. She truly believed what she had seen but Rogue also assured me that she wasn't working for them" Hank said.

"So stripes was right about the decoy. It was all a set up" Logan growled, extending his claws in frustration and anger.

"I'm afraid so and I think that who ever these people are they will not stop until they have what they want" Xavier sighed.

Logan grunted and Hank frowned. This wasn't the dream that any of them had for their students.

~*~

Aidan Kale strode through the hall looking very intimidating, which is what he wanted. People would immediately move out of his way. He loosened the tie around his neck and stormed into a room then into another hall. This hall had seven doors on either side. Each door had a number on it and, at present, five of the rooms were occupied.

He looked into one and saw Katherine Pryde staring blankly at one wall. Her eyes were glassed over and he could tell that she had recently been drugged to stop her form using her powers. The side effect was that she appeared almost comatose but he didn't care about that.

"Who are these people who want you back so dearly?" he mused.

He moved onto the next occupied room and stared at the mutant who was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. The name on her door said Marie-Ange Colbert. Aidan hadn't had much to do with her and all he knew was that she was from France.

All of the mutants had the same glassy look, which told him that the drug was working. He had gone to a lot of trouble to obtain all these specimens and he didn't want to lose them. He smiled grimly as he thought of what they could accomplish. Apart from the slight accident of today things were going to plan.

To Be Continued...


	5. Unwanted Encounters

X-Men: Evolution or X-Men. They all belong to their respected owners. I will not make any money from this story.

A/N - I hope this story is still doing well. I don't want to draw it out too much but I don't want to make it too short. It's a fine line. heh heh.

Chapter four

Rogue sat in the corner of what had been her room. Hers and Kitty's. It belonged to someone else now. Sighing heavily Rogue stood up and silently left the room. It wouldn't do any good for the room's occupant to come back and find her in there. 

She rubbed her temple trying to ease one of the many headaches that she had been getting as of late. Her hair had grown quite a bit since she had been travelling and she wore it in a ponytail to keep it out of her face.

"Hey sis. How are you doing?"

"Kurt, you scared me" Rogue growled.

"Sorry. Thinking about Kitty?"

"Yeah and other things" Rogue replied.

She hadn't told Kurt what had happened to her. Only Professor Xavier knew what had truly happened to her.

She saw Kurt frown and she wanted to explain everything but the memories were still too vivid and the nightmares were still haunting her. She would wake in the middle of the night, a scream waiting on her lips and distorted horrors still playing in her mind.

"Don't worry about me Kurt. I'm fine" she lied easily.

Kurt didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Do you want to run a danger room simulation?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure. I'll just go and suit up. Meet you in five" she answered with a smile.

She watched as Kurt bamfed away leaving a lingering smell of brimstone.

Rogue jogged to the room the professor had provided her with and pulled out her now familiar suit. She looked at it with a slight smile remembering all the times that she had to wear it. 

"God Kitty, Ah hope you are safe" she said as she pulled on her uniform and ran down to the danger room.

~*~

Aidan Kale watched as they got Katherine to walk on air and smiled grimly. They had received reports of mutant reports from various places but he was no longer interested in any of them. He wanted the ones who had defeated his men. 

After interrogating Katherine they had learned some more about the ones who were after her. They hadn't realised that the private boarding house that she had lived at was actually a school for mutants. Once they had learned that surveillance had been set up immediately around the Institute for Gifted Youngsters. 

Aidan had seen some of the children there and had become very angry.

He couldn't believe that these mutants, these abominations were living there happily and being trained in their powers. As far as he was concerned they had no rights what so ever.

Leaving the experiment room he walked calmly down the hall to his office. He sat down in his chair and began to go over the reports that he had amassed. He came across a picture of a young woman who looked very familiar to him. She had dark brown hair with two very noticeable white streaks. He hadn't put two and two together when Dr. Morgan had told him about the mutant who rendered the decoy unconscious.

"You again" he mused.

She was a very beautiful young lady, he remembered that much from the last time they had met. He still didn't know how she had escaped but he was beginning to have a good idea. The experiments they could perform on this one and any number of the mutants that lived there were limitless. 

Now all he had to do was find a way to get them. He already had one of them and that was a start. He was determined to be the hero in all of this. Aidan Kale, the man who freed the human world of the mutant menace. 

~*~

"Did Rogue get any memories from the men she took down?" Logan asked.

Professor Xavier turned his wheelchair around so he was facing Logan.

"I believe she did but she he trying to repress them."

He watched as Logan frowned. He didn't need to be a mind reader to realise that Logan was angry and worried. He was like a surrogate father to many of the children at the Institute whether he liked it or not. 

Xavier was worried as well. He could not find Kitty anywhere. Even when he used cerebro, so either she wasn't using her powers or, well he didn't want to think of the alternatives. He was also worried about the Brotherhood. He hadn't heard from them in a while and he knew that Lance had strong feelings for Kitty.

"I will talk to her when she and Kurt are finished in the Danger room" he told Logan.

Logan just grunted and stared out the window.

"How is Red?" he asked after a minute of silence.

"She didn't like not having her powers but they are coming back just as strong as ever" Xavier informed him.

"At least that is some form of good news."

"Yes," Xavier answered, " Isn't it time for the new recruit's lessons?"

Logan grinned slightly and left Xavier to his thoughts.

~*~

Rogue and Kurt came out of the Danger Room looking totally exhausted. 

"Good session" Rogue drawled while trying to catch her breath.

"Ja" Kurt agreed sounding just as tired.

They both walked towards the elevator when the doors sprung open and a worried looking Ray appeared.

"What's wrong? What is it?" Rogue asked a lump forming in her throat.

"Something big is happening. Toad happened to show up and some of the Brotherhood members are missing. Namely Lance and Fred" Ray explained.

"What?" both Rogue and Kurt exclaimed.

"The Professor wants to see us all right away."

They wasted no time getting to the study.

Rogue sat on a chair out of the way of everyone. Even after all this time she did not like to get close to anyone. Her gift was her curse.

"I was worried about the Brotherhood but I assumed Magneto would be looking out for them but even he was unaware of how serious this situation is. With the media televising anti-mutant protests and the like he was more concerned about an open battle not this form of subtlety" the Professor told them.

Rogue looked around at everyone and saw they all wore similar looks of worry. It also felt unusual to see some of her old team members sitting in the same room. Toad and Pietro were standing off to the side, no doubt feeling very out of place. Wanda was standing next to them but what she was thinking was a mystery to Rogue.

"So we assume that there is a secret company or something attacking mutants? And they are the ones who have Kitty and now Lance and Fred?" Jamie asked looking rather confused. 

He was the youngest in the room but he was one of the bravest. 

"Yes. I understand that it sounds very extraordinary but it plausible."

"So why are they after us? I understand the whole anti-mutant thing but why now?" Scott asked.

Rogue watched him from the corner of her eye as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked as expressionless as ever due to the glasses that he had to wear.

"I assume that they have a new agenda" the Professor said and he looked at Rogue.

Rogue blanched slightly as she knew what was going to happen next.

"I am sorry Rogue but I think it is time for you to explain what happened to you."

Rogue looked around the room with wild eyes as she tried to calm herself down. Everyone was looking at her now. 

~It's okay Rogue. We're all friends~ she heard Jean's voice echo in her head.

She didn't know whether she wanted to sneer at Jean or smile.

Taking a deep breath she stared at her hands.

"Y'all know that ah was travelling around America looking for mutants and various other things," she began, " Well ah was in California when ah ran into someone. Well he ran into me. He introduced himself as Aidan Kale and we went out for dinner. He paid for it as an apology, anyway we were talking and the next thing ah knew he was berating mutants and everything."

She looked around the room before setting her mouth in a grim smile.

"He seemed so...ah don't know. He then pulled out a small dart gun and fired it at me. Ah woke some time later without a clue to where ah was. My mind was messed up and everything seemed back the front. He was standing over me and he was grinning like the Cheshire cat spouting all sorts of anti-mutant garbage."

"Ah tried to clear my mind and the next thing ah know he is touching me. Touching my bare skin and nothing was happening. Ah didn't know if ah should scream or what. Ah did the next best thing. Ah kicked him in the groin" she grinned at that memory.

"He tried to assault you?" she heard Kurt exclaim angrily.

"Please, Kurt calm down" the Professor said softly.

"He hit me for that. He did some other things. Nothing sexual, mind you. He then tried to perform some experiments on me. He really messed with my mind. But he was only one person, Professor. Ah never saw any other people."

"When you absorbed the memories of those people did you see whom they were working for?"

Rogue cocked her head to one side, deep in thought. 

"Yes. Ah have a vague memory but it's all out of proportion. As if the guy was terrified of him. Ah can't tell who it is" she growled angrily. 

She hated being a victim and she refused to be one.

~*~

Lance looked around his small room, his mind beginning to clear.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed.

The last thing he remembered he was out looking for Kitty. He still really liked her even though they had been through a lot. When he learned that she had disappeared he didn't know what to think. 

He was sitting on a bed wearing what looked like hospital scrubs. He looked at them with distaste and he sat up slowly. His head ached as well as his neck. He rubbed his neck and pulled his hand away when he felt a tender area. He looked at his fingers and saw a small bit of dried blood.

"No way. This ain't happening" he said before swearing loudly.

He stood up on shaky legs and moved to the door.

"Let me out of here you bastards" he yelled and banged on the doors.   
He held his hands out and focused on making the ground shake. He felt his eyes roll back into his head but nothing happened.

"Nice try, Mr. Alvers but I am sorry but I have to tell you that they won't be working for a while. Not until I let you use them" a cold voice laughed.

Lance spun around looking for the source of the voice.

"Show yourself you freak" he yelled angrily.

"That's quite all right. I am rather happy where I am. I would like to say how surprised I was to find that another group of you mutants where looking for our Katherine" the oily voice said.

"Where is she?" Lance demanded, his voice breaking slightly.

He was worried more for Kitty than himself.

"She is fine. You might see her later but until then I hope you sleep well" the voice said before falling quiet.

"What?" Lance asked puzzled, he wasn't tired.

Just then small holes appeared in the room and a strange gas began hissing into the room. Lance looked around trying to find something to stop the gas but before long he was inhaling the foul air. He fell to the ground before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell asleep.

To Be Continued...


	6. Behind The Scenes

Disclaimer - I do not own X-Men: Evolution or X-Men. They all belong to their very respected owners. I will not make any money from this story.

A/N - sorry for the wait. I keep getting writer's block. I hope you are all still enjoying it. Thanks.

Chapter five

The girl walked calmly along the street trying not to look obvious but she knew that she was being followed. She had thought for a moment that she had lost her stalker but there he was still following like a lost puppy. She felt fear rise up in her body but pushed it away. She had to get away and if she let fear get a hold of her she would not make it.

She had her hair securely hidden under a baseball cap; it was the only physical trait of her mutant gene. She assumed that no one knew that she was a mutant but as of late everyone was looking for mutants and they all had a similar agenda. 

She pulled the collar of her jacket up further hoping that the guy would just give up and leave her alone. But in the corner of her mind she realised that he wouldn't. Not after what she had been hearing through her sources. Apparently he had found people who were willing to hunt mutants.

She had even heard talk of the Sentinel programme being reinstated, which terrified her more than could be imagined. She looked around again and saw her stalker getting closer. Things weren't going well and she almost broke into a run but thought better of it. She had to get to a crowded place. Hopefully it would be safe.

She jogged out into the road, not looking.

~*~

Music blared from the speakers as Scott drove through Bayville heading towards the mall. Jean was sitting next to him which he as grateful for but he was angry as well. He was supposed to be responsible for his team-mates. They were his responsibility and he had failed. 

"Scott, don't be so hard on yourself" he heard Jean say. 

He smiled slightly but it didn't help, he mentally berated himself for his failure.

"Look out, Scott" Jean had suddenly screamed.

Scott had seen the girl rush out into the street and swerved the car. At the same time Jean had cast out her hand and mentally lifted her but she was too late. The car slammed into the girl and Jean closed her eyes.

"Oh my god" Scott cried, not sounding sick but surprised.

"Jean look" he had said. 

A crowd had begun to form as Jean opened her eyes. The girl was still standing and the front of Scott's car was bent in as if it had hit a pole or something. 

"Help me, please" the girl cried.

Scott and Jean had jumped out of the car and rushed over to the girl. 

"Stop. Mutants. Stop you freaks" a harsh voice called.

Scott turned and saw a guy running towards them and Scott frowned. 

"Scott, no. This isn't the time. We have to get away from the crowd. The Professor is sending Logan in the jet" he heard Jean.

"Come on" Scott sighed grabbing both of the girl's arms and they ran away from the car. Scott looked back at his car, feeling the sentimental attachment break as they left it in the middle of the road.

~*~

Lance awoke and found himself strapped down on a table. He was beginning to feel scared but he wasn't going to show it. He strained his head and looked around the room trying to see anything that could help him. It was standard hospital white and it made him feel slightly claustrophobic.

"Good evening, Mr. Alvers" a patronising voice said.

Lance just swore spitting out any insulting words that came to mind.

"Now, now, Mr. Alvers that's no way to talk" the voice mocked him.

"I don't care you..." but before he could finish he noticed someone else was in the room.

"Kitty" he choked out.

She was standing in the doorway but her eyes were blank and unseeing.

"You bastards, what the hell have you done to her? You'll pay" he yelled empty threats at his unseen tormenters. 

"Kitty, it's me, Lance. Do ya remember?" he said to the girl.

She blinked but otherwise stood still. Lance didn't know what to do, he was trapped and he didn't have his power. He felt weak and it scared him but not as much as seeing Kitty in this state.

~*~

Rogue sat in the jet along with Kurt, Bobby and Amara. They were all silent, which for Bobby and Kurt was very unusual but no one commented on it. Nerves were frayed and all of them were on edge. 

Logan was in the pilot's seat, concentrating on what he was doing but Rogue knew that he was as on edge as they all were. We everyone disappearing even the Professor was at a loss as to what to do. 

"There they are" Bobby shouted, which resulted in Rogue jumping up with fright followed by her glaring at Bobby.

All of them got geared up for a fight because there were people following Scott and Jean and they did not look friendly. 

Logan landed the jet not far from where Scott was. Rogue, Bobby, Kurt and Amara all jumped out, ready to fight if necessary although they didn't want to hurt anyone. Bobby was fully coated with ice and Kurt was not hiding under his hologram. Rogue saw one of the men take aim and felt a horrible surge of deja vu.

Screaming a warning she rushed towards them but Bobby was on it and the gun was coated in ice.

"Where the hell did they all come from? There was only one before" the girl swore. 

Rogue looked at her with surprise but said nothing. She must be a mutant if these guys were following her. 

"Are you okay?" Rogue asked them as they rushed back towards the jet.

"We're fine" Jean replied.

Rogue had never gotten along well with Jean because they were two completely different people but she had always respected her in some small way. Now that it was open mutant season Rogue had gained a newfound respect for her. Jean was no longer the perfect person she tried to be. Rogue could see the anger in her eyes and knew that it was present on many. It was not a conscious thing but it was there, Rogue knew this because she felt it. She had felt it for a long time.

Bobby and Amara were bringing up the rear and Rogue could hear Bobby yelling at the people. She turned and for a brief moment she thought she was going to lose her footing and fall back into the crowd but a hand steadied her. She looked up as the mystery girl dragged her back into the jet. Bobby and Amara were close behind.

"Go Logan" Scott said as he jumped into the co-pilot's chair. 

Logan grunted and they took off.

"This isn't getting any better. Someone needs to talk to the press again or something" Bobby muttered under his breath.

Rogue watched all of her team-mates collapse into the seats before copying them. 

She had believed that the fear of mutants would never get this bad but it had. It was only by luck that Jean and Scott were driving to the mall. Various new mutant signatures had overwhelmed Cerebro so the Professor had not known about the new mutant they had picked up. Rogue didn't really care, she wanted her memories to become focused so she could remember anything about their attackers and maybe find out where Kitty was.

"Thanks" the girl said before removing her cap.

A wealth of brilliant green hair fell down her back.

"I'm sorry about your car" she apologised to Scott.

"Who was after you?" Rogue asked.

"They call themselves Friends of Humanity or some such crap. Their leader was a Graydon Creed or something like that but he disappeared awhile ago. Their new leader is a guy named Aidan Kale" the girl replied.

"How do you know all this?" Jean asked.

"I have my sources. Well I did until they turned me in" she sighed, pushing a lock of hair out of the way.

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked, glad to know that Kale was behind it and disturbed at the same time.

"I'd heard about mutants disappearing in my hometown so I decided to investigate. I found out a lot. Apparently they have several mutants held captive and they want more. I was tricked and nearly got caught myself so I ran. Now I'm here" she said, simply.

"Who are you, kid?" Logan growled.

"My name's Lorna. Lorna Dane." 

To Be Continued...


	7. Finding Salvation

Disclaimer - I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. I will not make any money off of this story.

A/N - Sorry for the wait. First I couldn't upload my chapter for ages after that I just got lazy! LOL. 

Chapter six

Kitty saw the boy lying on the table and her mind was screaming at her but she was no longer under her own control. Every pore in her body was telling her not to stand there, she had to help Lance but she couldn't move. She watched, her eyes passive, as one of the doctors came forwards holding a large syringe filled with a strange drug. 

"Kitty" she heard Lance call and she could see the fear in his eyes but she couldn't do anything.

She wanted to close her eyes or raise her hands over her ears so she couldn't hear his screams as they began to torture him. None of this showed on her face but she felt it, locked in the deep recesses of her own mind she felt it.

"Katherine, walk towards the table" a voice sounded over the intercom.

Trying to struggle she walked towards Lance, her legs no longer belonging to her.

"Kitty, oh god" Lance began to swear.

"Katherine, pick up the scalpel."

Kitty watched as her hand reached out and picked up the scalpel and she waited for her next order. She knew that something bad was going to happen and she forced herself to try and gain control over her body.

"Katherine cut his hand, not to deeply" came the next command.

Kitty saw Lance's eyes widen and his mouth go slack with fear as she raised the scalpel over his hand. She stabbed it down and at the exact moment as she thought it would hit she concentrated on phasing it through his hand. She had never concentrated on anything so hard in all her life. 

She heard Lance scream and she thought that she had gotten him but her eyes saw that she had managed to phase. She was still under their control but she was slowly breaking through. 

"Leave us alone" she said through gritted teeth.

She shook her head and felt as if the fog had lifted. Her mind was becoming clear and her body was becoming her own. 

"Kitty" Lance said again.

Kitty forced her head down and nodded. It was painful to go against the drugs in her system but she forced her hands to work on getting Lance out of there. She had got one buckle done when she felt something heavy hit her on the back of her head. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and they last thing she saw was Lance looking at her before she fell to the ground.

She woke later and had no idea of the time, or exactly where she was. She looked around and realised, for the first time in ages, that she was no longer drugged to insensibility. She was sick of being in there and she wanted to get out. 

"Kitty, are you okay?"

Kitty felt a scream rise in her throat when she heard the voice, her head swung in every direction until she saw the figure huddled against the wall, nursing a bandaged hand.

"Lance" Kitty choked before running into his arms.

"I missed you" he mumbled.

Kitty began to laugh so hard that she didn't realise she was crying. 

"Hey don't cry" Lance told her.

Kitty hiccuped trying to stop the tears but she felt as if she had died, being stuck in this hell for so long and now here was Lance. To her he seemed like a salvation. 

"How did you get here? Where are the others? Are you okay? Is anyone else here? What happened to you hand?" the questions came out in rapid fire before Kitty could stop herself.

"I got caught, looking for you" she saw him smile sadly.

"You were looking for me? How about the others?"

"They have been looking for you as well. In fact Jean, Rogue and Jamie almost joined you here" Lance said.

"Are they okay?" she cried.

"Everyone is fine, I think" he muttered.

Kitty moved back and rocked on her heels as she looked at him. She hadn't seen any of her friends for a long time and her mind was still reeling with his appearance. Now that she was in marginal control of her body she felt happier than she had for months. 

"What has happened on the outside?"

She watched as Lance jerked his head up to look at her.

"Open season on mutants" he answered.

Kitty felt the smile fall from her face as he explained all that he knew about what had happened.

~*~

Lance answered Kitty's questions patiently, he was tired and pain but he was relieved to see that Kitty was more attentive than she had been in the lab. He was shocked to see how pale she was and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was longer and her figure seemed thinner but she was still Kitty and he was glad to see her.

"Oh god Kitty, it's good to see you" he said to her.

He smiled as he saw a small blush rise on her cheeks. They hadn't seen much of each other after he had left high school but he knew that there was still something there. He had loved Kitty, he had even tried to join the X-Men but he had realised that he wasn't cut out for that life. 

He still had strong feelings for her. Ever since they had first met at high school, even when they had been recruited into different teams he had still liked her.

"What happened to you, Kitty?" he asked.

He knew that it was a bad question but he had to know. He saw her face pale even more and her eyes had a haunted look in them. Her hands were trembling and she hugged her knees.

"Did they...um...touch you?" he choked.

"No, no, nothing like that" she replied quickly but Lance wasn't totally convinced.

He watched her for a moment waiting to see if she would tell him anything but she stayed silent.

~*~

Lorna Dane sat in a comfortable chair in a huge mansion surrounded by a group of mutants and for the first time in a long while she felt safe. As safe as a mutant could be in the world today. Everyone was talking or listening and she was quite happy to sit back and do nothing but listen. She was good at that. When she was listening she didn't worry about her powers go haywire, which they liked to do every so often. She didn't worry about anything.

She had become so comfortable that when her powers did start acting up she didn't notice until someone else said something. She looked around and saw that everything that had some metal in it was moving of its own accord.

"Oops, sorry" she muttered and drew her power back into her.

"Trouble with control?" someone asked.

"Yeah, I have my good days and my bad days. I had a lot of problems when they first appeared" she tried to explain but she didn't like talking about her past that much.

"You said something about Aidan Kale?" a southern voice drawled in her ear.

She jumped and saw Rogue sitting there. She had been quickly introduced to all the people who had rescued her but she hadn't paid any attention until now. 

"Oh crap, you're the one he wants" she said to the girl.

"What?" the girl asked, her eyes widening.

"You've met him. You are the one who got away" Lorna told the girl.

"What do you mean?" another person asked.

"Aidan was super pissed when she got away. In fact he still hasn't gotten over it. For some strange reason he is obsessed with you and not in a good way" she said, her eyes wide.

She watched as the girl shook her head in disbelief then a wall seemed to drop over her face and she had a determined look plastered on.

~*~

"She was telling the truth and she knows where Kitty is. In fact she knows quite a bit" Xavier told the adults as he sat with his hands under his chin.

"So we have a name to our enemies" Ororo said grimly.

"I'm afraid so. At least we know who we are up against" Xavier replied.

"A bunch of crazy idiots" Logan growled.

Xavier looked around at his teachers a frown lingering on his lips. He was scared but he would not tell them that. He was the leader and he was supposed to be strong for all of them and he normally was but to have all this pressure put on him at this time he didn't know what to say or do.

"Don't worry, Charles. We will stop them" Hank said as if he could read his worry on his face.

To Be Continued...


	8. Hope From The Dark

Disclaimer - I do not own X-Men: Evolution or X-Men in any way, shape or form. I will not make any money from this story. Any familiar quotes aren't mine either.

A/N - thanks for all the reviews. Sorry for the delay I caught a very prolonged case of laziness. 

Chapter Seven

Kitty sat in the corner of the cell watching as Lance slept. His face looked peaceful and Kitty was surprised to how innocent he looked as he slept. Kitty couldn't sleep; she was worried that if she closed her eyes Lance would disappear and she had only dreamed him being there. There were dark smudges around her eyes and her skin was bordering on translucent. 

She whispered to herself under her breath while keeping a close eye on Lance, her fingers were itching to move the stray bit of hair out of his face but she refrained and sat back on her heels. Cocking her head to one side she could have sworn that she heard something. 

She stood and moved quietly around the cell, her eyes wide and alert. She heard it again and moved closer to the door. 

"Hey, can you hear me?" a voice whispered loudly.

"Yes. Yes I can hear you" Kitty replied in a scared tone.

"Listen, I'm gonna let you out okay?" 

"What?" 

"Just wait five minutes then phase through the door."

"I can't. They've done something to me" Kitty felt her heart drop.

"When was the last time they were there?" the voice sounded amused now.

Kitty paused for a moment, scratching her head thinking back to when she had last been tested on.

"I'll take the silence to mean that you know that it has been a while" the voice laughed softly.

Kitty stared at the door frowning, "Why help me? Don't you hate mutants?"

"Nope, just needed the money. Listen I will cause a distraction, when you hear the loud noise start phasing."

"How can I trust you?"

"You can't. Wake up shaker there" the voice said.

Kitty strained to hear anything more but there was nothing but silence.

Mulling it over for a second she tried phasing slightly through the door. Her heart stopped when she felt the familiar feeling associated with phasing and her eyes widened when she saw her fingers lightly slip through the door. Without hesitating she whirled around and shook Lance awake.

"Uuuhhhh. No more peanut butter" he muttered.

Kitty stared at him, "Lance get up."

His eyes shot opened and Kitty looked from him to the door.

"Listen, we are getting out of here" Kitty said in a hushed tone.

"What?" Lance said, his eyes glancing to the door.

Kitty clamped a hand over his mouth and pushed the other hand through the floor.

"I can phase" she explained.

Lance nodded his head, showing that he understood.

Kitty stood and crept to the door with Lance close behind her. Holding an ear to the door she listened for the noise that was supposed to signify the distraction. 

"How did..?" Lance began when a loud crash sounded outside of the room. 

"Now" Kitty said and grabbed Lance's hand.

Willing this to work she ran through the door dragging Lance behind her. Once outside of the cell Kitty felt at a loss. She hadn't been in her own state of mind for so long that she wasn't sure on what to do next.

"Come on, Kitty" she felt someone tug on her arm.

She saw Lance and her mind hurtled back to reality. She followed Lance, running past door after door. Her sense of direction was shot but her sense of survival was working in overdrive. 

"Where do we go?" she yelled over the noise.

"Not a clue" Lance replied as they kept running. 

As they rounded a corner a new noise entered the fray. A siren had been set off scaring Kitty and making Lance cringe.

"I think Fred is still here" he said feeling confused.

Kitty stared at him with wild eyes; "we have to get out of here first. Then we can get help."

Lance nodded and Kitty grabbed his hand. They began to phase through wall after wall when they came into a room that looked more like an office than a lab. Lance had looked around first and Kitty suddenly found herself thrown to the ground.

"Very good" someone said cruelly. 

Kitty recognised the voice and bit on her tongue to stop the urge to scream. Aidan Kale was sitting in the chair behind the desk, dressed impeccably as usual. 

"What the hell do you mean?" she heard Lance yell.

"My plan worked and you did exactly what I thought you would do. Though I have to admit that you did even better than I thought. I didn't believe that you would get this far" he said, his cold grey eyes looked at them.

"Plan? You have got to be joking" Lance said in a dull voice.

Kitty looked up at him and frowned, he was pointing downwards and doing some weird finger pantomime.

Kitty stared at him blankly for a moment until she realised what he was going on about; she could still phase. She watched as Lance ran up and grabbed Kale's tie looking angry enough to throttle him.

"Don't hurt him, Lance. He's not worth it" she said, finding her voice.

While Kitty was saying this she was slowly sinking out of sight. The last thing she saw in the office was Lance falling to the ground, landing with a heavy thud. Kitty screamed when she saw the crimson stain spread on his white shirt.

She landed roughly on the floor and found herself in front of an elevator. Tears were trying to force their way out of her eyes but she shook her head and ran towards the elevator. She eased in and looked at the buttons before jabbing ground floor with a trembling finger. The ride up seemed to last forever and she knew that getting this far had not been in Kale's plans. She hoped that when the elevator stopped she had time to get away.

The lights of the floors winked on then off then finally the ground floor light came on and stayed on. Creeping to the side of the elevators she waited for the doors to open. Her heart was thudding in her chest and she felt a dull pain in one of her legs. When the doors opened and nothing happened she peered out and saw that there was no one around. She turned her head up to the sky and said a small thank you prayer.

Not waiting for any signs she took off at a full run out of the elevator and through the building. She ran towards sunlight, the first real sunlight she had seen in over nine months. Glancing around quickly she found herself in the lobby of a large hotel. She came to the revolving doors, ignoring all the gasps of the richly dressed people around her and ran out into the street. 

The concrete bit into her bare feet and she shivered slightly in the brisk wind but she was free. And Lance is dead a small voice said in the back of her mind. She looked around wildly knowing that she wasn't safe in the open and she couldn't go to her parents. She had to get to a phone and call the Institute. She turned left and took off at a run not once looking back.

~*~

Lorna was wandering aimlessly around the Institute feeling immensely bored. She had been here for a couple of weeks now and after being on her own for a long time she was finding it difficult being thrust into a family situation. Plus the added house arrest. They were not allowed to leave the Institute grounds without permission and that wasn't given easily. The Professor had friends in high places and they had warned him to be careful, as there was a lot of anti mutant bills being spread around.

"Damn it" she swore lightly and kicked at a tree, which resulted in her getting a sore foot.

She sat under a huge oak tree and idly stared at the sky. She felt useless doing nothing.

"I should be out there helping...people...things...just doing something" she muttered to herself.

"Talking to yourself is never a good sign" someone said behind her.

She jumped, startled by whoever had appeared. Shading her eyes against the sun she looked up and saw Bobby standing over her. 

"Do you always make a habit of scaring people or is this a first?" she retorted.

"Oh it's definitely a habit" he replied with a grin.

"Did you want something? Other than to annoy me that is."

"But that would take away the high light of my days" he said back quickly.

Since she had been at the Institute her and Bobby had gotten along really well. He was like the little brother that she had never had. They also liked to tease each other, a lot. 

Bobby stood over her for a moment longer "The Professor wants to see us in his study."

She held out her hand, "Help me up" she demanded.

He did as he was told and they made their way to the manor laughing lightly at each other's jokes.

~*~

Rogue sat back in what she deemed as her chair. They had had so many meetings in the past two weeks that the study was becoming her second most visited room. Dressed in sweat pants and a sweatshirt it was obvious to everyone that she had been in the gym. 

She watched as the other, older students gathered in the room. All of them wore similar expression and Rogue could see that some of them had lost weight. This whole deal was hitting them hard. She was just about to say hi to Scott and Jean as they came in when the phone rang. She reached out a hand and grabbed the phone off the desk.

"Hello?" she drawled.

"Rogue." 

"Oh my god, Kitty is that you?" Rogue nearly screamed. 

The room went silent.

"Rogue. I need some help."

"Hold on Kitty. Where are you?"

"Somewhere...I don't know...I thought I was in Chicago but I don't know."

"We're coming, Kitty. We'll be there as soon as possible" Rogue said as the phone went dead.

The entire room was silent until the Professor arrived.

"I know Rogue. X-Men, suit up" was all he said.

There was a mad scramble to the door and five minutes later they were in the air. 

~*~

Kitty sat in a park. She had thought about hiding but she knew that they would find her. Her only hope was the Professor. She knew that he must have a reading on her now and that the others would be coming to get her. Her hands were trembling and she fell to the ground dry retching. Lance's lifeless body kept reflecting in her mind but she didn't want to believe it.

She sat on the bench for a few minutes longer before moving again. She keep this up for fifteen minutes, staying still for a few minutes before moving again. She was about to move again when she heard a familiar voice.

"Kitty are you here?"

"Kurt? Kurt is that you?" she tried to yell but her voice came out as a croak.

"Ja, Kitty."

Kitty spun around on her feet to find Kurt, Scott, Jean and Rogue standing behind her. Feeling an overwhelming sense of relief she took a step forwards before collapsing into a dead faint.

To Be Continued...


	9. Returning From Despair

Disclaimer – I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. They all                                                                                                                                                                              belong to their most respected owners who have my full appreciation. Any quotes that you recognise are not mind, they also belong to their respected owners.

A/N – I want to apologise for the lateness of this chapter and this time I have a valid reason. Lol. I have just moved back down to University and I do not have a computer of my own so I am forced to use the computers at the university. So hopefully I can keep updating. Also a kind thanks to all of you who put up with my delays and leave very kind reviews. Now on with the show…

Chapter Eight

Kitty opened one eye and looked out upon her surroundings. For a moment, she did not recall where she was and she expected to see sterile white walls with a menacing steel door in the middle. Instead, she saw warm coloured wallpaper and soft but cheerful looking light but what pleased her most was curled up in an armchair with his blue tail twitching slightly.

            "Kurt" she whispered softly.

His tail twitched again.

"Kurt, wake up" she said a bit louder this time the tail stopped moving.

"Kurt, get up now!" she demanded.

The figure on the chair jumped up suddenly in shock and Kitty could not hide the smile that covered her face. The smile hurt but it felt good.

            "Kitty, you're awake" he exclaimed and Kitty noticed that his accent seemed thicker than she remembered.

Kitty lowered herself to the floor and gingerly walked towards him. Her feet were sore from running

 so far on concrete but that did not bother her at the moment. She was free.

_Lance is dead_ a small voice reminded her but Kitty ignored it for the moment.

            Kurt was up as well and he ran towards her and enveloped her a big hug.

Kitty grinned "Okay oxygen becoming an issue" she managed to choke out.

Kurt let go and held her out at arms length as if she were a special object that he had not seen in many years.

"I missed you, Kurt" Kitty choked out, she knew she was crying but it was a release that she needed.

            That moment the door opened and a sleepy looking Rogue wandered in.

"Ah'm ready to take over, fuzzball" she drawled, rubbing her eyes.

Kitty didn't wait for Rogue to notice her, she ran over and hugged her although she was very mindful of her skin. She had just woken up and she didn't want to go back to sleep anytime soon.

            "Oh my god, Kitty, you're awake" Rogue said and Kitty heard the shock in her voice. 

Kitty couldn't say anything. After everything she had been through she felt exhausted and at a loss for words. 

"I'm home" she whispered, her voice hoarse as she felt her legs tremble and go weak.

Rogue and Kurt caught her as she fell and they helped her back to bed.

"Kurt, go get the Professor" Rogue ordered.

"Why me?" Kurt grumbled but he did as he was told disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"I missed that" Kitty said absently.

            Rogue looked at her and Kitty felt uncomfortable with all the staring.

"Your hair is longer" Rogue said finally.

"Your dream of becoming a detective never looked so close until now" Kitty replied sarcastically.

"You're not supposed to be sarcastic, that's my line" Rogue laughed.

Kitty stared at her in shock and realised that that was the only way for her to deal with what had happened then she began to laugh as well, both of them sounding a little hysterical.

            They were still laughing when Kurt got back, apparently he hadn't just woken the Professor but all of the X-Men and some of the new recruits. They all piled into the room which now seemed a lot smaller than before making Kitty feel a trifle uneasy.

"Kitty, it is good to see you awake" she heard the Professor's voice inside her head.

The emotions were so overwhelming that Kitty burst into tears once again.

"He shot Lance" she hiccupped. 

The mood in the room darkened in a second. 

"I can't let you be happy for me until we get the others out" she continued.

            "Is he dead?" she heard someone ask.

"I…I don't know. He looked so pale and he wasn't moving."

Kitty looked at the ground feeling guilty for being home and alive while Lance was probably dead.

_He is dead though, isn't he. You left him to die _her conscience told her.

~*~

Hank McCoy wandered around his lab feeling jubilant, Kitty was safe and there seemed to be no physical problems, mental one were certain but for now the fact that she was healthy was enough for him. 

"So what has she told you?" a voice asked from behind.

Turning as agilely as only he could she found himself face to face with Lorna. Her green hair had been tied back and he could see the dark circles that had formed under her eyes. Although she had never met Kitty she was still as worried as any of Kitty's friends were.

            "No she doesn't want to talk about it and I do believe that she is rather upset by what happened to Lance" Hank replied. 

He had become rather fond of the girl and she had come down to his lab often to help with various experiments. It turned out that she had quite a scientific mind. He only wished that more of the students would help.

            "I wonder if she would talk to me. I mean I did meet the guy who did this and I sort of know what it's like. The only other person I can suggest is Rogue but I think Rogue is too close in the situation" Lorna suggested.

"That actually might be a good idea but you might want to talk to Xavier before you go ahead with your plan" Hank mused as he flipped himself upside down, delicately holding a small beaker.

            "I might just do that Dr. McCoy" she said before turning around to leave.

"What a curiously polite girl" Hank said to himself.

He hung there for a few more minutes before righting himself and looking over another experiment.

~*~

It had been a week since Kitty had woken in the Institute feeling safe for the first time in a long while. But even though she was in a safe place she often got the feeling that she was being watched. She thought that Kale would spring out of nowhere and take her back. She was having dreams that terrified her and although she knew that, she was safer here than she could be anywhere else she still could not stop the dreams.

            She stayed close to someone at all times of the day. Mostly it was Kurt or Rogue. Sometimes it was Scott or Jean and every so often, it was Logan. When it was Logan she felt safer but that was because he was a father figure to her and father figures where supposed to protect you from everything.

            Her parents had been around a couple of times but they felt uneasy around her as if she had changed dramatically. She spoke differently, she knew that but she was still the same. She had to be she would tell herself all the time just to make it true.

            Often she would find herself staring in the mirror wondering if she really was Kitty or whether she was someone else. Someone who looked like Kitty but was different in everyway. It was at one of these times that Logan walked in and found her staring absently at her reflection.

"Half-pint what are you doing?" he had asked in his gruff voice.

She had jumped up and swung around to hit him like he had taught her and had actually hit him. It wouldn't hurt but the shock showed on her face. He, however, had looked very pleased that his training was working.

~*~

Aidan Kale looked around the room that had once held his greatest success and which now held nothing. He was angry but underneath that anger he felt a sense of power that was almost intoxicating. He was going to succeed. He knew this now, after Katherine's escape. She was going to help him rid the world of the mutant problem and make him a hero in the eyes of men. 

            He walked out of that room and into another one that was almost the same. In this room there was a single bed and on the bed lay a body surrounded by various machines. Some measuring heart rate and others slowly feeding the body nutrients through an I.V. 

"Lance, how are you today?" he asked before laughing softly to himself.

To Be Continued….


	10. The Stuff of Dreams

Disclaimer – I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. They all                                                                                                                                                                              belong to their most respected owners who have my full appreciation. Any quotes that you recognise are not mine;  they belong to their respected owners.

A/N – Thanks for the patience. You are all very kind. 

Chapter Nine

_Rogue couldn't remember how long she sat on the chair next to her bed; all she knew was that she couldn't leave her alone for a minute. She was part of her family, the only family she had and if she ever lost any of them she would die. Her eyes stayed focused on the still figure lying in the bed and she sighed with relief. _

_            There were still moments when she thought that this was all a dream and that she would wake up and realise that Kitty wasn't back. She knew that Kurt felt the same way. He was constantly teleporting into the room just to make sure she was still there. _

_            Moving around in the chair trying to get comfortable she winced as a sharp pain flared up in her side. Curious as to why her side was hurting she looked down and saw a knife sticking out of her side. She didn't feel alarmed just concerned that she might drip blood on the carpet._

_            She frowned as she looked down at the knife knowing that she should be alarmed but she felt nothing, only a dull pain that flared when she moved. _

_"I didn't mean too" a voice startled her and she looked up to she Kitty sitting up in bed._

_"Didn't mean to what?" Rogue asked feeling confused._

_"I've gone and got blood all over my hands" Kitty replied, holding out her hands for Rogue to see._

_            "Oh so this is yours?" Rogue indicated the knife._

_"Oh no that's not mine. It was never mine. It was his" Kitty said pointing to the doorway._

_Rogue turned slowly and looked at the doorway. A darkened figure stood there leaning on the wall. _

_"Who is that?" Rogue asked._

_"That's Kale. You remember him? He sure remembers you" Kitty let out a high pitched giggle._

_            Rogue began to feel terror building up inside her and she wanted to scream. _

_"Rogue, how you have changed in the year since we met" his voice invaded her thoughts._

_"You bastard. Look what you've done" Rogue yelled but it came out sounding hysterical._

_"Well you knew that it was time. The clock always tells me when the time comes" he intoned holding out a small clock for her to see._

_            She stared at it feeling horror well up inside of her. Instead of the normal two hands there were several and all of hem had familiar names. One for Kitty. One for Jean. One for Kurt and so on. There were no numbers either. There were words like dead, alive, sick and captured. _

_            Her hand lay on dead. (1)_

Rogue woke with a start feeling the sweat cool immediately in the night air. She had fallen asleep on the armchair next to Kitty's bed. She touched her side expecting to find a knife or something worse but there was nothing there.

            She stood up and looked at Kitty who was fast asleep. Knowing that she was safe there Rogue left her and wandered downstairs. She was trembling from the dream and she needed to talk to someone but she didn't want to wake anyone.

            She reached the kitchen and saw that there was a light on. She walked in and found Lorna sitting at the table looking half asleep. 

"Hey" Rogue said softly, not wanting to scare the girl.

Lorna jumped anyway.

"Rogue, god you scared me," Lorna exhaled, "Can't sleep?"

"No. Every time I close my eyes I have nightmares" Rogue admitted.

"What about?" Lorna inquired calmly.

Rogue sat down and began to explain.

~*~

The world was like a glass orb, he had decided and he was stuck right in the middle while everyone else was on the outside breathing in nice air. They were the lucky ones, surrounded by friendly faces and loved ones. They weren't stuck in here with hostile people and pain. 

            The minute that thought occurred to him another thought bounced into his mind and he didn't know where it had come from.

_Who am I?_

"Curious" he mumbled to himself, the words seeming strange on his lips.

"What's curious?" someone asked.

"For a moment I forgot who I was" he admitted sheepishly.

"That's not curious, that's just silly. You are Joshua Kale, my brother" the voice laughed.

            "I know that, its just that…"

"What?" the voice asked in an almost pressing tone.

"Well for a moment I remembered something that I couldn't have. I almost remembered a girl. A pretty dark haired girl" he said more to himself than to Aidan, who was leaning over him now.

"I think we have to cut down on your meds" Aidan laughed.

For a moment Joshua stared at him but then he began to laugh as well.

            Josh lay propped up in bed with one legs wrapped in a cast and a swab of bandages around his chest where he had been shot. He prodded the bandage feeling a slight pain. He found it strange that he didn't remember being shot. In fact he didn't remember much about his life in general. There were no memories of high school, or primary school for that matter but he knew that he had to have gone to both. He didn't recall his name or age but everyone kept calling him Josh so he accepted that as his real name.

            "What's wrong now, little brother?" Aidan asked in a cheerful tone.

"I hate not having my memory. It's like I feel lost and weak and I don't like feeling weak."

"Don't worry, the docs say it will come back in time" Aidan explained.

Josh knew that they looked alike, which proved that they could be brothers but there was something in the back of his mind that kept niggling him. Sometimes his brother would seem entirely different. At the moment he was laughing and joking but that could change in an instant.

            "How did this happen again?" he asked Aidan in a small voice.

"I've told you this" Aidan chided.

"Please, I can't remember all of it" Josh pleaded, sounding more like a young child than a young adult.

"Okay. You have always been sick, it's called the X Gene, it makes you do dangerous things that hurt people, and I have been trying to find a cure. You have lived here most of your life and one day one of the patients we were trying to help escaped and you got caught in the cross fire" he explained.

            It was the same story but Josh always thought that there was something missing in the story. He never said anything though.

"Oh" he muttered. 

He was feeling tired again and felt his eyelids droop. He smiled sleepily as he brother said goodbye and walked out of the room.

~*~  
  


Aidan's smile turned quickly into a scowl as he walked out of the room. He was sick of playing the mutant's brother but he had to admit that it was an interesting plan. Still the thought of that scum carrying the Kale name often made him want to yell in disgust. 

            Dressed as sharply as ever, he made his way into one of the smaller labs in their underground facility. Inside he found technicians walking about in scientific dazes looking more than slightly confused. 

"Mr. Kale, sir" one of them stuttered when they noticed he was there.

He watched with a degree of amusement as every person in the room became aware of him. Their faces going pale very quickly. A few of them had splints on their noses where he had vented his anger on them.

            "Any progress in getting my Katherine back?" he asked in a sweet tone.

"Um…yes and no" one brave person spoke up.

Kale directed his stare to him.

"Well, they have quite strong defence systems over this place and…well unless one comes out by themselves we can't get them. If you give us some more time we might be able to hack into their computers and shut them down that way. Or we could lay a trap?" he suggested meekly.

            Kale resisted the urge to laugh, he loved the fear that he saw in their faces. He gave him power and he loved power above all things. 

"Very well" he said in a soft tone before walking back out the door. 

He smiled thinly when he heard the sighs of relief.

~*~

Kitty threw another strong punch at the punching bag.

"Hey Kitty, calm down" a voice exclaimed from behind the bag.

Scott was there, holding the bag still for her while she practised.

"Sorry Scott" she apologised but he knew that she wasn't really sorry. She was scared. 

            He didn't know how to help her and that made him feel weak. As the leader, he didn't believe he was allowed to feel weak. He was supposed to be strong and now that Kitty was back he thought he could relax but that wasn't an option any more. More and more demonstrations had been going on. The majority of which were anti-mutant. 

            Every time they turned on the news now a days there were people debating whether mutants were people or animals. It made him feel sick in the stomach but he couldn't do anything to stop it. People were entitled to their own opinions as the professor would always tell them.

            "Scott? Hello? Are you in there?" a sharp tap on the forehead brought Scott back to reality.

Kitty was standing in front of him, dressed entirely in black and a frown on her face.

Kitty had changed. Everyone had noticed it. 

            She no longer spoke with the valley girl accent, in fact when she did speak her voice was either soft and quiet or angry and harsh. There was no in between. She looked as if she had been clothes shopping with Rogue as well, dressing in dark colours. She didn't smile much anymore, either.

"I'm here" he muttered.

"Good, lets get back to practising" she said and swung a punch in his direction and he blocked it.

~*~

Lorna sat back in the lab and rubbed her eyes wearily. Ever since Kitty had been back she had spent most of her time in the lab. She felt like an outsider here sometimes and that feeling was reinforced when Kitty had been found.

"How are you today, Lorna?" Dr. McCoy asked as he entered.

            "Tired. I spent the night talking to Rogue. She's having disturbing dreams" she told him.

"Ah, I thought that Kitty would be the one with the disturbing dreams. Now that I think of it, though, Rogue did meet this guy first" he mused.

Lorna was surprised by this gentle giant and she was in awe of him as well.

            "I was trying to make a dream suppressant but I don't know if that is a good idea" she explained. 

Dr. McCoy leaned in over her work and added a few helpful comments and Lorna went back to work. She was worried though, something about Kitty's escape seemed wrong, as if it were too easy. She frowned as she went over the formula again.

To Be Continued…

Notes: (1) I stole this idea from J. K. Rowling. The Weasley clock has no numbers, it just points out where every member of the family is. I.e. Mortal peril, travelling etc  


	11. Pain and Disguises

Disclaimer – I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. They all belong to their most respected owners who have my full appreciation. Any quotes that you recognise are not mine; they belong to their respected owners.

Chapter ten.

Joshua Kale was prodding at all his bandages again. He couldn't sleep and he wasn't able to move about so instead he had to entertain himself by inflicting pain. He thought that was weird but there was nothing else for him to do. Sighing deeply he leaned back into the semi hard pillows and glared at his sterile surroundings. He ran a hand through his newly cut hair and felt a sense of loss. His hair had rested above his shoulders and he thought that was how he had always had it but Aidan had told him that they hadn't cut it for a while because he had been sick.

          "I don't remember having short hair" he muttered to himself before laughing when he remembered that he had amnesia. For all he knew he could have had bright purple hair before he got shot although he somehow thought that Aidan would disown him if he had had purple hair.

          Aidan didn't seem to like anything that wasn't normal but Josh couldn't think bad thoughts about him because he was his brother and he had done so much to help him. He felt so ashamed when Aidan told him what people with the X-gene had done. 

          He moved again and drew in a ragged breath as a short burst of pain ran through his chest. 

"Damn it" he cried. 

He was feeling really frustrated being stuck in bed all the time.

"If only Kitty was here" he said to himself and then froze.

"Who is Kitty?" he asked himself.

          Images tried to enter his head but he couldn't make sense of them. A girl with bright eyes and dark hair, moving through a wall. Someone who suffered from the X-gene like himself. A small smile came to his lips as feeling arose in his mind, feelings that were attached to this girl. 

          "Good morning, brother" a voice called from the doorway.

Josh looked over to see Aidan standing there, arms crossed and a smirk on his mouth.

"Hi Aidan. Good news? You look like the cat that got the cream."

"Oh we have had some success with destroying the X-gene."

          It was the way he said destroying that made Josh's spine crawl. He felt foolish because he knew that he shouldn't be afraid of his brother but there were times when he felt that Aidan was keeping things from him. There were times when Aidan thought that he was asleep and his whole demeanour would change dramatically. Josh had also noticed how many of the staff here acted when in his presence. They were scared of him.

          "Really" Josh replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Yes but we cannot test it on anyone yet. This discovery may save a lot of innocent people, Joshua. It would be a great day for us. You could finally be free and even go out into the world. You would be a normal person" Aidan told him. 

"Normal" Josh whispered to himself as if it were a sacred word.

He saw Aidan's eyes seem to darken for a minute but he smiled at his brother and his brother smiled back before saying good-bye and leaving the room. 

          Josh watched his brother leave then went back to prodding his wound to see if it had healed any in the time that Aidan had been in there. The thoughts that had previously worried him were all gone at the thought of being able to go out into the real world. 

~*~

Lorna sat at the dinner table surrounded by many of the other students, all of which had been on house arrest for a long period of time and it was definitely showing. Small squabbles were breaking out in every direction and there were a lot of sullen silences as well. Lorna was exhausted from lack of sleep and she could see similar dark smudges on many of the older students. 

          Logan came in not long after they had all began to eat and he was looking worse for the wear. Scratches that hadn't started to heal were visible over his face and Lorna was afraid to ask what had happened. The younger students hadn't noticed the tense feeling that had settled over the room and they were still talking when Scott spoke.

"Are you alright Logan?"

          Logan looked up as he bit into a large piece of meat, his eyes looking as dark as usual. 

"Fine" he growled and went straight back to eating. 

Lorna saw that only the older students actually heard Scott. They continued to eat in silence and Lorna knew that there were some very dark thoughts on the minds of the students here. 

          She finished the rest of her meal quickly before returning to the lab. The lab was where she had been spending most of her time as of late, trying to help Dr. McCoy in any way possible. They had been analysing both Jean and Kitty's blood and the drugs that had been in their systems. 

          Lorna sat down behind a set of bacteria cultures and stared blankly ahead. She was over tired but she felt the tension in the air. 

"Lorna are you alright?" Hank asked.

Startled Lorna fell backwards and heard a clatter of metal. 

          "I am so sorry, sir" she muttered looking at all the metal that she must have been influencing. 

Distorted pieces of metal were lying on the ground but nothing else seemed to be harmed.

          "You should get some rest. You have been helping me here for the last week and I don't recall seeing you rest apart from eating." 

Dr. McCoy's blue form moved delicately around the room as he picked up the metal and replaced the items that were broken.

"I'll be okay. I'll just go and rest for a minute" Lorna sighed. She didn't want to be away from the lab but she knew that she wouldn't be of much help if she were exhausted. Hank nodded as she slowly left the lab and made her way to her room.

          On the second floor she ran into Bobby who was trying to lighten up the atmosphere by skating around the halls. He had made enough ice for a mini skating rink and some of the younger students were sliding around. Jamie had slipped into a wall and there were several versions of him sitting on the floor. 

          Everyone was laughing when Kitty poked her head out of her room with a frown on her face. The silence was immediate with everyone going back to their rooms. Lorna didn't know what to say to Kitty. She had been through a rough time but to take it out on everyone else was not fair. 

          Moving on she entered her room and sat down on the bed. She lay back and stared at the ceiling. Slowly she let her body relax and she fell asleep.

~*~

"Kitty has changed so much" Rogue's voice drawled.

"Yes. We've all noticed it" Kurt said as he hung from a chandelier.

"I can't read her mind. She blocking me the whole time but I do know that she has learned more about her powers." Jean was sitting on a sofa next to Scott. Her face was as grave as Scott's and they both cast worried glances in the direction of Kitty's room.

          "Lorna is worried as well. She has been down in Dr. McCoy's lab for days trying to help him" Rogue said as well.

"She has been busy. She must really hate this Kale guy" Scott muttered.

"Don't you?" Kurt shot back.

They were all on edge.

          "He is a creep but we have faced worse in our time" Rogue said, making everyone fall quiet.

          "I think we have to talk to the professor. He will have to talk to Kitty or something. Logan is happy with her fighting skills though" Jean mused, a slight grin forming on her face.

That made them all laugh if only for a few minutes.

~*~

He stood watching the Institute and he felt as if he should be in their helping them. Everything that had been happening was tied in to what he had been trying to tell Charles all along but he never listened. Now Charles had recovered his lost student but he was still missing two of his. Lance and Fred.  Mystique was missing as well but he didn't think that the two were related. 

          "Gambit, I want someone to keep an eye on the Institute at all times. I don't think that these people have finished with Charles' kids" he ordered.

"Oui, Magneto" Gambit mock saluted as he leaned lazily on a staff. "Anything you say."

To Be Continued…


	12. Peace Before the Storm

Disclaimer – I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. They all belong to their most respected owners who have my full appreciation. Any quotes that you recognise are not mine; they belong to their respected owners.

A/N - Thanks to all of you who are baring with me as I try to keep this story updated. The lovely reviews are also very encouraging. So I hope that you are all still enjoying the story. Thanks a bunch! 

Chapter eleven.

There was a bonus for this job, one that Magneto did not know about. The bonus was in the form of a Southern Belle that had caught his eye from the moment that they first met, not that he would admit it. She was a feisty one and when Magneto had asked for someone to keep an eye on the occupants of the Institute he had nearly jumped at the chance. 

            He lounged in a tree near enough to help if any trouble cropped up but far enough away so as not to draw attention to himself. He was dealing with mutants after all and they were very different to normal people. He should know, being a mutant himself. 

            His duster kept him warm as his odd coloured eyes surveyed the area, something was making him uneasy and he had learned long ago to trust his instincts. He carefully looked at the front gates and what he saw there was enough to alarm him in to taking direct action. 

            As silently as he could he dropped from the tree into the Institutes grounds and made his way towards the gate. 

"I'm afraid dat I can't let you leave, fille" he said in a suave voice.

The person at the gate turned to face him.

"You" she hissed, angrily.

            Gambit had known that someone was at the gate he just didn't realise who it was until she had turned to face him. It was the girl, Shadowcat. She was dressed in black and her eyes looked hard and cold.

"Why are you trying to break out, fille?" he asked, confused.

"It's none of your business" she ignored him and turned back to the gate, ready to phase through. 

            Gambit was quicker though, and grabbed her arm before she could concentrate on phasing. He pulled her away from the gates and turned her towards him. He remembered that she was the Rogue's friend, the valley girl but she sure didn't sound like a valley girl at this moment as a string of curses exploded out of her mouth.

            "What's going on here?" another voice spoke. 

Gambit turned to see Rogue standing beside the gate now. She had changed since he had last seen her. Her hair was longer and her eyes seemed harder somehow as well. 

"The fille was trying to run away" Gambit explained, grinning.

            "Magneto's lackey was stopping me" Kitty growled.

"What are ya doing, Kitty? Where are ya going?" He watched as Rogue walked over to the pair. 

"I have to go back and kill him. I have to kill him for killing Lance" she spat out harshly. 

Gambit was surprised to hear so much hostility in the girl's voice. Kitty noticed his surprise and phased through him and made a run towards the gate but Rogue was there.

            "Ah'm sorry, Kitty" she said, reaching out a bare hand she touched Kitty on the forehead.

Gambit shuddered involuntarily as Kitty fell to the ground, recalling what it was like to be touched by Rogue.

"Since you're here do you think you can help me carry her back in or do Ah have ta do it myself?" Rogue drawled.

Gambit picked up the girl who was a lot lighter than she looked. 

"Anything for you, chere" he grinned crookedly.

~*~

"She was going after Kale. She has no idea where he is but she was going after him" Rogue explained to Scott, Jean and the Professor, all of whom were sitting in the kitchen. 

Gambit was leaning in the doorway feeling odd being included in the enemies conversation. They weren't enemies as much as he thought, they just had different views on the world. 

            "Gambit stopped her before she could phase. He made her loose concentration, what he was doing here, though, is beyond me" Rogue said, frowning in his direction.

"Gambit was just doing what he was told, chere" he grinned. 

Rogue looked away, anger in her eyes. 

            Professor Xavier turned his chair around to face him and he took a step back.

"Why are you here, Gambit?" he asked, tenting his hands under his chin. 

"Gambit, already said."

"Magneto is worried about us so he sent you to be our watchdog" Jean interrupted.

Gambit watched as Xavier frowned and Jean blushed. It was obvious that they were talking to one another telepathically.

            Gambit smiled at the redhead before taking his leave.

"Take care, chere" he whispered as he ran past Rogue and out the door.

Rogue stood and was about to chase him, along with Scott.

"Let him go. He doesn't mean any harm" Xavier sighed.

~*~

Kitty woke in the med bay feeling tired, grouchy and sore all over. She tried to recall what had happened but only came up with a blur. She sensed a strong emotion of hatred and swung her feet out of bed to find Rogue phasing through the door. 

"You zapped me?" she asked in disbelief.

"You were going crazy, Kitty. You've been hanging round with Logan to much" Rogue replied angrily.

            "I just wanted out of here" she said as memories started to come back.

"Your Cajun boyfriend helped you" she muttered, crossing her arms angrily.

"He is not my boyfriend" Rogue emphasised each word by jabbing the air angrily.

This made Kitty grin.

            "Girls. Please stop arguing" Dr. McCoy asked calmly.

"Sorry" Kitty muttered under her breath.

She knew that she had changed and although she liked some of the changes she wished she could go back to being her old self. Her slightly naïve self but herself none the less. 

            She stood up on shaky legs and walked around the room twice to make sure she wasn't going to collapse. The whole time Rogue was watching her.

"I'm all right, you know" she muttered.

"Ah know. We are friends though and if you want to talk to me. Well ah'm always here" Rogue replied. 

Kitty looked at the girl who had been her roommate for the last few years. She recalled how different they had been and how often they had argued and now…they were very close friends. The Goth and the valley girl. An interesting combination.

~*~

Charles Xavier looked out his window into the night and frowned. Things were not becoming any easier and with a maniac like Kale out there hunting for them it didn't seem as if it would ever be safe for his kids. Kitty was not the only one showing signs of frustration or anger. Scott was constantly worried and Jean had come to talk to him on many occasions.

            The rest of the students were trying not to let their frustration get the best of them but he knew that he couldn't keep them locked up in here forever. They would have to face the Kale and the world soon.

            He turned away from the window and that was when he felt that he wasn't alone.

"Eric. How are you old friend?" he asked.

"Charles, you know that you will have to face him sooner or later" replied a deep voice.

"I know. I just don't know what it will do to my kids" he answered honestly. 

            "They are strong, just like my own. They will be able to handle anything that is thrown at them" Eric said. 

Charles finally turned around and watched his old friend hover in the room.

"Why is it, then, that you sent one of yours here to keep an eye on us?" Charles asked, a slight grin crossing his face.

"These kids are my future as well" Eric replied calmly.

~*~

Joshua was walking now. Well, if you could call, stumbling every five seconds followed by a series of shuffles, walking. Wearing the hospital clothes wasn't making his day any better either. There was no back to them and he had to make sure no one would enter and see him from behind. It wasn't one of his dreams to flash the world.

            He tried once more to shuffle around the room but he felt to tired and he slowly sunk towards the floor. His memory wasn't coming back either. He couldn't recall any of his childhood and he certainly couldn't remember Aidan being younger than he was now. 

            Nights were the worse, though. That was when the dreams would come and they would terrify him or confuse him. At this point he didn't know what was worse: being scared or being terrified. 

            He often dreamed of earthquakes and he would wake with curiously painful headaches. There were other times that he would dream of a strange boy with white hair who was always running really fast. Then there was the girl, Kitty. She wasn't only in his dreams, he could remember her. Well he thought he could remember her.

            He sat there on the ground for a while waiting for the pain to subside and for him to be strong enough to get back to his bed. It wouldn't do to have Aidan walk in while he was lying here on the ground. He might get angry at him and for some strange reason he was terrified when Aidan got angry at him. 

            Once he felt strong enough he slowly stood again and shuffled back to bed, crawling in carefully, taking care not to aggravate his wounds. He didn't want to be stuck in bed any longer than he absolutely had to be.

~*~

Sam Guthrie watched all the younger students play in the back yard of the Institute. They had started an impromptu game of tag, mutant tag to be exact and it was fun to watch. His sister, Paige, was 'it' at the moment and she was doing a pretty good job at chasing all the others around the small forest.

            Amara and Bobby were lounging next to him, enjoying the last warm rays form the sun. 

"So where do you think this guy is?" Bobby asked.

"Ah really don't know" Sam replied in his soft Southern voice.

"The others are really worried. That's why Logan has been giving all of us extra lessons" Amara said as she removed her sunglasses.

            "Yeah, I noticed. Do you think this guy will try and attack here?"

"Ah hope not because that will just bring us some more bad publicity for being mutants" Sam said, sitting down with a frown on his face.

"We can handle him, though" Amara said with confidence.

Sam just shook his head and went back to watching the game.

To Be Continued…


	13. When It Hurts To Remember

Disclaimer – I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. They all belong to their most respected owners who have my full appreciation. Any quotes that you recognise are not mine; they belong to their respected owners.

A/N: I know…very late in updating and I apologise profusely. Essays and the like along with various other things. ::*::cough work cough::*:: Lol. Oh well here goes nothing…

Chapter twelve

She glared at her reflection in the mirror, feeling confused with her own appearance. There were purple smudges under each eye telling her that she needed some sleep but that didn't bother her as much as the lack of warmth in her eyes. She wanted revenge and that scared the sensible part of her mind. The part that was lost, along with her innocence, back in Kale's lab. 

          Kitty picked up the scissors that she had brought up to the bathroom, her hand shook slightly and she felt them begin to phase through her. 

"Stop it" she muttered to herself. 

Gaining control again, she grabbed a lock of her hair and began to cut. As the first lock drifted down into the sink, she felt her worries seem to disappear although she knew that that wasn't true. She just had something new to focus on.

          The sound that the scissors made as they cut through her hair made her feel comforted. The soft whisper of her hair falling into the sink also had a soothing quality that almost lulled her into a daydream but with that thought she quickly shook herself back to reality. The little voice inside her head kept whispering to her, telling her that Lance was dead and it was all her fault.

          She looked at her reflection again and smiled bitterly. Her hair was short now, sitting in a jagged bob just below her ears. She ran a hand through it before turning away and phasing through the door, leaving her hair in the sink in case someone wanted it. With that thought she laughed but it sounded hollow, even in her own ears.

          "Hey Kitty," someone called, "What have you done!?" 

Kitty turned to see Jean standing there staring at her new haircut. 

"Do you like it? I did it myself," Kitty said, mocking her once native valley girl tone before walking away down the hall.

          She went into her room and got suited up, ready for some practise in the Danger Room. She phased through her floor, dropping down into the lab startling Dr. McCoy and Lorna who both seemed to live in the lab these days.

"Hi, just passing through" she said with a wave.

Both Hank and Lorna looked at each other, concern evident in their eyes but Kitty didn't see this as she found herself in front of the Danger Room 

~*~

Jean had rushed into the bathroom that Kitty had come out of and nearly cried when she saw all the hair lying in the sink and the scissors resting on and angle in the hair.

"What is wrong with you, Kitty?" she murmured to herself.

Turning away from the sight of all the hair she closed her eyes as if concentrating.

Professor, are you here? she called in her mind, trying to sound calm but feeling a plethora of emotions.

          What is it, Jean? came the reply.

Kitty Jean replied almost wanting to mutter what else but holding back at the last minute.

I will meet you in the study shortly. I have some business to attend to his voice sounded in her mind.

          Jean nodded, knowing that he could see her but it was a natural reaction. With one last look at the contents in the sink, she walked out the door and made her way to the study.

~*~

Being a mutant was a strange thing, but then again being human must be even stranger because even though he didn't get his powers until he hit puberty he was never really human. He didn't recall doing anything noticeably spectacular when he was in pre-school so he knew he must not have. Still the idea that he could have actually won every game of freeze tag always made him feel better.

            "Hey Bobby, what are you thinking?" a voice roused him from his thoughts.

"Just wandering why this guy hates us so much" he told Jubilee, who had recently been allowed to come back.

Her parents had heard all this stuff on the news and decided that maybe Xavier's place was safer than their home. 

          Jubilee had changed since he had last seen her. Her hair was shorter but it wasn't just physical changes. Her eyes seemed darker and she didn't smile as much. However, it wasn't as if they had a lot to smile about over the last year or so. With Kitty going missing, rumours that there was going to be a new law for mutant segregation or even worse. 

          "Cause he's jealous?" Jubilee suggested. 

"I don't know. Maybe something happened to him or someone did something to him, something that only a mutant could have done?" Bobby mused, laughing at how clichéd that sounded to him.

Jubilee caught on. "Maybe he comes from a family of mutants and he was the only one who didn't get any powers, you know. So he began obsessed with making mutants the evil bad guys and humans the superior good guys," she laughed.

          Bobby joined in on the laughter before moving back into a reflective silent mode, something he never had until recently. Jubilee was silent as well and Bobby saw her look around the trees that were part of their prison. They were still not allowed outside the Institute and boredom was becoming a large factor with fights breaking out all the time and Logan making them all do extra sessions in the Danger Room.

          Bobby was about to say something when he heard a strange sound.

"Did you hear…?" Jubilee began but Bobby cut her off, bringing his finger to his lips, signalling for silence.

Both of them were on alert now. As quietly as possible Bobby moved towards the trees, watching for any sign of movement, one hand held up ready to ice anything that came at them.

          "Maybe it was the wind?" Jubilee suggested but Bobby knew that she was trying to relieve her fear.

A click, loud enough to startle them, sounded through the trees.

"Jubilee, run back to the mansion and fire up as many fireworks as you can" Bobby told her in a whisper.

He watched her eyes widen but she did as she was told, running back the way they had came.

          Bobby watched as fireworks exploded in the sky and he hoped that they would realise what was happening. He turned back just in time to see someone explode out of the bushes and run straight at him. Swearing in surprise, he stepped back and shot of a blast of ice in the direction of the person.

          Someone else stepped out and Bobby could see that they were dressed in army fatigues and that they had familiar looking weapons. The were the same guys that had attacked them when Jean and Rogue were talking to that lady in Chicago.

"Damn it" he yelled but at the same time he created an ice slide and began to make tracks towards the mansion.

~*~

Jean was sitting in the study when she saw a series of fireworks explode into the sky. At first she thought that Jubilee was playing around but she looking out the large windows and saw her running towards the mansion as fast as she could. 

Jean then looked towards the small area of trees and saw Bobby sliding towards the mansion as well. Right behind him cam several men dressed in army clothes.

          Professor, someone is attacking the Institute she called a warning before opening the windows with her mind and floating outside to help.

She lowered herself and set up a protective field around Bobby since he was closest to the danger.

          She did that just in time as a series of small explosions occurred around him. They were firing at him but it didn't seem as if they were bullets as a strange cloud of gas appeared.

"Jean, look out" Jubilee screamed and Jean turned around sharply to find three men standing behind her. 

"Well hello again" one of them said and grinned widely.

          Jean watched as he raised his gun and fired at her. This time, though, she was ready for this and she raised a hand, watching as the small dart stopped in its tracks before turning around and hitting the same man in the neck. He dropped to the ground instantly

          The other two men looked at her and raised their weapons as well.

"Don't" she sighed but they didn't listen.

By the time that the others got there all three men were on the ground, fast asleep, but they were not the only ones there. Men surrounded Bobby and Jubilee was not faring much better.

          Scott instantly went into leader mode and began to give orders, which everyone followed as they were trained. Jean watched as he blasted some of the men that surrounded Bobby. A wall of flame erupted around another. Out of the corner of her eye, Jean saw Amara moving towards Jubilee and Bobby. 

          The other students had rushed out to help protect the Institute and their friends. Lorna had appeared and any gun within a small radius of her had been forced to the ground. Jean smelt brimstone and saw Kurt porting everywhere, leaving a series of unconscious people in his wake.

          Rogue was having a similar effect but there were still more people coming in from somewhere.

"Where is the professor?" Jean called to Scott.

He replied by shrugging his shoulders.

"They have Rogue" Jubilee yelled in a panicked voice.

Jean looked up startled and saw one of the men carrying Rogue's limp form but before he could get very far a shadow fell from the trees and the guy fell to the ground. Jean smiled in relief as she saw Gambit pick up Rogue and carry her back towards the Institute.

          "STOP!" a voice yelled.

Everyone, even the students stopped and Jean saw the Professor appear at the front door but she was surprised to see Magneto there as well.

"What is going on?" Scott hissed in her ear.

She shook her head to show that she didn't understand.

"Ahh, the infamous Professor Xavier and his arch rival Magneto" a cruel voice taunted.

          Jean watched as the soldiers moved back and formed what seemed like a protective line. Then she got her first glimpse of Aidan Kale.

~*~

His brother wasn't at the lab or so they told him. Apparently he had gone out to look for more people that suffered from the X-gene. So Josh was free to roam the small area that his brother had designated safe for him. 

He was able to walk easily now, with much less pain but he couldn't go on long walks. He still got tired easily. 

          It was on one of these walks that he realised that he didn't even remember what kind of things he could do with his X-gene. He knew that some people could create fire and some could manipulate water. He also knew that some could even read other peoples mind but he had no idea what he could do.

          So know he sat on his bed, glad to be no longer hooked up to all the frustrating machinery, and searched his memory. He had tried this numerous times before but this time he was desperate to find the truth.

          As always, he recalled a girl with long dark hair and a charming smile but then he hit a blank wall.     

 "Damn it" he yelled to no one. 

He stood up quickly and felt dizzy, as he reached back to sit down the bed moved on its wheels. Startled he tried to regain his balance only to fall back and hit his head on the bed.

          He sat on the ground stunned for a bit when memories that couldn't be his seemed to swarm into his mind. 

"Kitty" he muttered and that opened a new section of his mind.

"I' m not Joshua Kale" he growled, realising how stupid he must have been to believe that he was that idiot's brother. 

He stood up, held out his hands making his eyes roll back in to his head and make the ground shake. 

He smiled grimly…

To Be Continued…


	14. Finding Trouble

Disclaimer – I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. They all belong to their most respected owners who have my full appreciation. Any quotes that you recognise are not mine; they belong to their respected owners.

A/N – I do apologise for the very late update. I swear every single time that I tried to write something it just didn't come out right. Then there were all the interruptions with exams and essays and all that. Thank you all so much for all the reviews and I am trying to find time to read and review your stories as well. If I haven't reviewed yours yet I am sorry but it is more than likely that I have read your stories, if that helps! Lol.

Chapter thirteen.

He surveyed his surroundings and was disappointed to see that his prize pupil was not there but there were two condolences. A shock of green hair told him that Lorna was there and he saw the still figure of Rogue in the arms of some tall mutant. He watched the mutants to see what their reaction would be.

"You do not have permission to be here," Charles was the first to speak.

He admired that in his own strange way, Charles was the father figure who protected all his young ducklings.

"I have to disagree; you have no permission to be here. You are not even human" he replied in his calm but formal tone.

            He held back a laugh as one of the mutants took a step forward, as if he could stop all of them by himself. 

"I wouldn't move any closer," he warned, "one of my men might accidentally have real bullets in his gun. They are really rather messy weapons, wouldn't you agree Charles?"

"Why are you here, Mr. Kale?" Charles asked.

Aidan looked at him for a moment before answering.

"You have something that belongs to me."

            He smiled as he heard the mumbles of anger and surprise move through the group of mutants but at the same time, being so close to so many disgusted him.

"We have nothing of yours," the tall boy with glasses growled.

"I'm afraid you do. You see her parents gave Lorna there to me. They did not want a mutant for a daughter and they thought that I could help cure her."

"She is her own person, free to do as she wants," Charles replied.

            Lorna had her head bowed and Aidan nearly jumped with glee at the misery he was causing her bringing up all the old memories. 

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool," (1) he heard one of the mutants mutter. It was the large animal like one.

"You know Shakespeare but you have applied it to the wrong person. I am no fool nor have I claimed to be a wise man. I am just trying to save the world from the trouble that you have caused" Aidan replied, loosing his cool slightly.

            The whole reason that they had come to the Institute now was to gain some more test subjects but he had not expected so many mutants to be there. He didn't know if he was losing his nerve but he was not stupid. He could feel the tension growing and he knew that it was probably time to leave. He glared over at the mutants and tried to show that he was superior to them but he knew that at this point in time they outnumbered his men in more ways that one.

"I'll come again another time. I see that you are awfully busy at the present time," he concluded trying not to sound as if he had lost anything.

            He nodded curtly to his men then turned his back on the group of mutants leaving them to ponder his departure and him in general. He did not like surprises and was not willing to wait around to see if they had any more. He walked briskly but he was angry. He heard some of the soldiers muttering and he knew that he would have to sort them out when they got back to the labs.

~*~

"The guns would not have hurt us," Magneto told Charles as they watched the departing figure.

"I know but there is always that one chance out of a hundred and I find that not worth the risk," Charles replied.

Magneto frowned. He was angry but he knew that, on some level, Charles was right.

"What do we do now? We know that he can get his men past the defences," Scott interrupted.

            Magneto looked at him and at the rest of the mutants, his eyes as cold as ever.

"We stay where we are," Charles began, "He may be able to get past the mechanical defences but he has not faced all of you."

Magneto sighed inwardly. Charles was too patient and too caring. He waited while the rest of the mutants returned inside before pulling Gambit towards him.

            He was still holding the still form of Rogue.

"Yes?" 

"I want you to follow them," was all he said.

Gambit nodded his head and gave the girl to him. 

"Take care, chere," he whispered before taking off into the night.

Magneto watched him go before returning the girl inside. He left her on a couch and went in search of Charles; they had much to discuss.

~*~

Kitty was still in the Danger Room, she had not even realised that something had happened. Leaving the room, she made her way upstairs to find everyone in a strange sombre mood. 

"Kitty, where were you?" someone asked but she ignored them. 

Looking around she spied Rogue lying on a couch.

"Is she all right?" she asked, indicating Rogue. Even her voice sounded strange, gruff and harsh.

            "Kale attacked," she heard Jean say.

Whirling around, she faced the rest of her teammates.

"When?" She asked her tone angry.

"Not long ago. They just left after a few threats. Something about the attack didn't seem right. It was too suspicious," Scott, answered.

"I got that same feeling," Jean said.

            Kitty felt her anger rise as they began discussing the event. She was angry with them but she was angrier at Kale for even trying to attack her home and her friends. He had no right, just because he was a sick, mutant hating, freak. 

            Images of Lance flooded her mind as she thought about that last remark. His eyes opening wide as the bullet hit him. Her rage was suddenly replaced by enormous guilt. Guilt that she could not get rid of, guilt that was slowly making her angrier and more unlike herself. She was no longer Kitty Pride…she didn't know who she was.

            She looked around the group at all her friends and realised that she didn't felt right there anymore. She felt out of place and very much alone. She knew whom to blame for this, Aidan Kale. He had ruined her life and the life of many others. She looked up at the group when she realised that they were no longer talking. All of them were staring at her strangely and Jean had wide eyes.

            "It's not your fault," Jean told her.

"What?" Kitty was confused. 

"You just told us that it was all your fault," Scott said, his face as expressionless as usual.

"No I didn't," she replied.

"Yes you did," Rogue said. She was awake now thought she still looked highly groggy.

Kitty stared at them all, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. Things were coming to a head.

~*~

Lance was angry but he knew how to control it. What he really wanted to do was shake this place right down to nothing but he knew that that was not a good idea at the present time. He didn't know when Kale would be back and he didn't want him to realise that he knew he wasn't actually his brother. The cogs in his brain were turning and he knew that he could save some of the other people that he knew where down there.

            He looked around his room, getting familiar with it as Lance, not as Joshua. He reached a hand up and ran it through his hair, freezing in surprise as he found that it was short.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself. 

He remembered getting it cut but he didn't remember. It was as if he was two different people in the same body.

            He sat down on his bed when the doors flew open and Kale stormed in with a look of fury on his face.

"Hey brother," Lance said in a falsely cheerful voice, "how was your day?"

"Don't ask, Joshua" was the only answer he got back.

Lance watched as Kale stormed around the place looking as if a thundercloud would burst over his head.

            "I'm feeling much better," Lance, told him, trying to work out what was wrong.

"That's great," came the sarcastic reply.

"So I was wondering when you could start to help me get rid of the x-gene," he said.

"You want to help find a test subject?" Kale said.

Lance watched as he stopped in place and his eyes lit up. He knew that he had dug himself into a hole.

"Sure," he lied.

"Actually I think you can help us get a few test subjects. How would you like to go to Bayville? There are some troubled children there who need help getting rid of their x-genes," Kale told him.

            Lance gulped, realising what Kale wanted him to do…

To Be Continued…

Notes: (1) Shakespeare's _As You Like It _ V.i.31


	15. Dealing or Trying Too

Disclaimer – I do not own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape or form. They all belong to their most respected owners who have my full appreciation. Any quotes that you recognise are not mine; they belong to their respected owners.

A/N – Yay I have my computer back so hopefully I can get my 'a' into 'g' and get more chapters up. Thanks for all your reviews…they are all so helpful. Just a side note…italics indicate dreams.

Chapter Fourteen

Kitty looked at each one of her friends with an almost helpless look into her eyes. She was angry, that was the one constant thing in her mind and she didn't want to lose that because if she did then she would just sink into guilt and despair. Once the anger was gone she to would have to come to grips with Lance being dead. 

          She felt Rogue's, Scott's and Jean's eyes all one her. All she needed now was Kurt to be there and the group would be complete…with the obvious exception of Evan. 

"Stop it," she said softly, surprised by how calm her voice sounded even in her own ears.

"We only want to help you, Kitty. We can't unless you help us though," Jean, ever the peacemaker, said.

          "You can't erase what he did to me. You can't erase the fact that Lance is dead because of me. You can't erase the memories that are with me all the time, day and night. The memories of the others that he had trapped in there and the memories of what he was trying to do and what he was doing. He had control of me and he was making me do things that…" her voice started to tremble and she blinked a few stray tears out of her eyes.

          "No we can't," Scott told her, his voice strong and calm," but we can help you. That's what we are here for."

"Scott's right, ya know that, don't ya Kitty," Rogue drawled.

"I get it but I have to deal with it first and I can't with you always there trying to stop me from hurting myself. I can't live like that. I have changed and not all for the good. I can't help it that I feel guilty but for now I need that because I know that if I come up against that…" she broke off into a string of curses that surprised Scott and Jean but only made Rogue smile wryly.

          "Okay, okay," Scott, said in a calm tone, trying to stop her swearing.

"Just let me get over it in my own way," she told them and not in a harsh tone. In fact, she sounded more like the old Kitty than she had in ages. She watched as Scott and Jean nodded before leaving with Jean reaching out and taking Scott's hand. 

"You ain't fooling me, Miss Kitty," Rogue drawled.

"Bite me," Kitty retorted.

She watched as Rogue stared at her from under her locks of white hair. 

"Good come back…well not really but you were a valley girl so ah guess that it is very good for you," Rogue said.

          Kitty ran a hand through her newly short hair feeling a slight moment of regret before the anger came back.

"I don't care. I will do what I have to do," she said hotly before turning on her heel and storming down the hall, away from Rogue and away from her commonsense.

~*~

Rogue watched as she walked away, a slight frown on her face. She hadn't really realised that Kitty was suffering so much. All of them had been stressed recently and they had been so wrapped up in finding Kitty that after she had been found they had thought that she would slip back into the role she had formally occupied. It hadn't occurred to them that she would have changed so dramatically.

          "Damn it," Rogue muttered under her breath as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Petite, you are awake," a voice said behind her, distracting her from her thoughts.

Turning she saw Gambit and she didn't know whether to frown or smile. He looked slightly forlorn and she was sure that she could see some signs of worry in his strangely coloured eyes.

"What do ya want?" she said in a slightly aggravated tone but she couldn't stop the smile that reached her lips.

          She watched as he walked round till he was facing her.

"Gambit was just wanting to make sure that you was awake."

"I'm alive and well, thanks I guess."

Gambit just smiled and left as quietly as he had entered.

          Rogue watched him leave before returning to her thoughts. Things were getting more and more complicated at a time that complication was a bad thing.

Stretching she got of the couch and shook her head. She needed to rest some more but she also needed to keep fit so she headed towards the normal gym area and jumped on a treadmill. 

          She wasn't in there for long when the door opened and a couple of other students came in. One of them was a reasonably new recruit but the other was a familiar face.  

"Kurt, how are you?"

"You better come with me. The professor wants to see us," he told her in quiet voice.

Rogue looked at him curiously but stopped the treadmill and grabbed a towel as she followed him out of the room. 

          They made their way quickly to the study only to find that they were the last ones there. 

"Sorry, professor," they both apologised.

"That's quite all right."

Rogue looked around and saw Scott, Jean, Dr. McCoy, Bobby and, surprisingly, Lorna.

          "I've asked you here because of our mutual concern for Kitty. I haven't been able to read her mind because there are still some residual drugs in her system that seem to be interfering with my ability," the professor explained.

Rogue looked at him then cast a quick glance around the room to read the other's expressions. 

"That's not all, is it?" Kurt said.

          Rogue watched as the professor smiled softly.

"You are right, Kurt. I was able to quickly glance into Kale's mind and what I read was good."

"Well…?" Scott asked letting impatience slip into his voice.

"Lance is not dead. The shot did not kill him but it did give him amnesia. I got the impression that Kale was using this to his advantage."

~*~

Lance nodded numbly as Kale continued to speak to him but he was tuning things out. He knew what Kale wanted him to do and he didn't know whether to be excited or worried. On one hand he might be able to get away from Kale but on the other hand he would be leading his enemy to his friends…and to Kitty. With his memory restored all he could think about was Kitty.

          "Did you hear what I said?" he heard Kale ask in a gruff tone.

"Sorry, brother. I am still a bit tired," he admitted truthfully. He was still tired from the bullet wound but also he was thinking about his chance to escape.

He looked at Kale's face as he frowned then smiled somewhat evilly. 

          "That's okay. I'll let you get some rest then we will leave in a couple of days.

Lance nodded and made a pretence of yawning loudly before crawling into bed. He was tired and he fell asleep rather quickly sinking into a deep, dreamless world.

~*~

_"Please don't make me do that. Please don't make me hurt him," she pleaded with all her heart. _

_She felt hot tears spill down her face and her nose began to run._

_"Do it," the faceless people told her in stern tones._

_"I can't. He hasn't done anything wrong. We haven't done anything wrong. Why do you hate us so much?"_

_"You aren't human. You are a mistake. You and everyone like you. We are the warriors who will keep your breed at bay."_

_          "Our breed? We were born the same as you…most of us," she tried to explain._

_"I don't care. Now cut him open. We want to see how he works. We want to see what is inside of him."_

_She looked down and saw a large knife in her hands and then she saw him lying on a table. He was awake and his eyes were staring at her, full of trust._

_"I love you," he whispered to her._

_"I love you too. I don't want to hurt you."_

_"But you have to, don't you," it wasn't a question._

_          "He's making me do it. They are making me do it," she sobbed._

_"I know. They are afraid and what people fear they also hate."_

_"But why should they fear us. We are still human," she demanded._

_"Are we?"_

_"Of course we are. We just have special abilities," she said stubbornly._

_"And that is was makes us different. They feel as if they are falling down a rabbit hole and they have no control over that. That is one of the things that they fear, lack of control and change. As Magneto says, we are the future," he told her._

_          "That doesn't mean that we are evil, that we should be killed. They hate us."_

_"Of course they do. What else can they do?"_

_"They could try and be friendly?" she said softly._

_"Many will be friendly but there are always going to be those who will hate us, fear us and want to hurt us."_

_"I wish that didn't have to be like that."  
"Me too. You better get a move on. They don't look to happy," he said indicating the faceless people._

_"I am so sorry," she told him as she began to plunge the knife deeply into his body._

_          "I love you, Kitty."_


	16. Trying to Escape

Disclaimer – I own no part of X-Men Evolution.

A/N: Well it has been a long time. Sorry about the wait. I have been busy completing my degree but now that I have time I can continue my writing.

Chapter Fifteen

Lance woke with a start. Apparently his sleep wasn't as dreamless as he had hoped. The dream was so achingly vivid that he almost thought he had gained the ability to foresee the future. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his hair, feeling the uncomfortable shortness of it. A short stab of pain ran through his chest reminding him of a multitude of events, many he would like to forget.

Lance lowered himself to the floor and welcomed the harsh reality that the cold of the floor brought him. His mind was clear and he was relieved that Aidan believed he didn't need any drugs. He grinned inwardly, thinking of all the evil things he would do to him once he was at full strength.

He made himself walk around the room several times before dressing in the only clothes that Aidan left for him. He shuddered as he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like one the prep-boys that he despised.

"Good morning, Joshua. Are you ready to see some of our unfortunate patients today?"

Lance spun around sharply, surprised at how easy Aidan had snuck up on him. "Yes, brother."

He saw Aidan raise an eyebrow in a questioning way and Lance offered him a weak smile.

"Have you had any more of those strange dreams about that girl?" Aidan asked him as they walked down one of the never-ending corridors.

Lance feigned ignorance. "Which girl?"

Aidan didn't reply and the rest of the walk was made in silence. This gave Lance more time to look around the place and, as he walked, he attempted to commit details to memory. He knew that he might have to escape from here by himself.

"We will start off by introducing you to some of those less affected by the X-Gene before moving onto those who we have labelled chronic cases," Aidan spoke suddenly.

Lance looked at him and, not for the first time, he wondered what was going on in his head. He didn't look like your run-of-the-mill psycho. He was always immaculately dressed and held himself with a strange sense of dignity but, at the same time, there was something about him that made even the slowest people wary of him.

"How do you decide who has a more chronic case, brother?" Lance asked, hoping he didn't sound any different.

"We haven't designed a scale or anything that advanced. Instead, we go by the strength of their abilities. Those who have more devastating abilities are the ones that we label 'chronic'."

Lance nodded but held back on saying anything. He couldn't trust himself at the moment. He watched as Aidan walked up to a large glass door. As he approached Lance felt a sudden chill go down his spine and he wanted to stop where he stood but he knew that if he did that he would give his memory gain away.

He walked up toward the glass until he was standing right next to his brother. He stared into the room and felt his breath catch in his throat. Sitting on a bed, looking more than lightly drugged was a much thinner version of Fred Dukes.

"What's his ability?" Lance asked, feigning innocence.

Aidan stared straight ahead. "His body mass is normally a lot bigger than this and it seems to protect him. At the same time he is very strong. At the moment, however, our drugs are keeping all the abilities under control. Unfortunately, they have some strange side effects." Aidan finally looked at him. "With some people it changes their appearance dramatically."

Lance felt a fine trickle of sweat creep down his neck. "Isn't that a good thing. I mean, if you are wanting to heal us making us look normal is part of the process, right?"

Aidan stared at him for another few moments. "Very good, Joshua. I am glad that you are thinking straight again. I was awfully worried when that girl nearly got you killed."

Lance offered a thin smile and turned his attention back to Fred, who hadn't moved from the bed. He looked stoned and Lance felt a strange urge to laugh. He knew that he was getting too close to becoming hysterical. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"Are you all right, Joshua?"

Lance could hear the coldness in Aidan's voice. "I'm fine. Still a wee bit tender."

From the corner of his mind her saw Aidan nod in understanding.

"Can he hear us?" Lance asked.

"He can see and hear us but at the moment the drugs are too strong. We have to start the doses off rather strong before lowering them as his body adjusts to them. You have to understand, Joshua, that many of these people don't even realise that we are trying to help them. Many of my men and women have been killed in the attempt to help these poor people."

Lance wanted nothing more than to beat the self-righteous look off of Aidan's face right then and there but he knew that the minute he started toward him there would be fifty people shooting at him. He had already been shot and he wasn't willing to go through the experience again any time soon.

"What the hell do you mean that Lance isn't dead?" Scott exclaimed.

Rogue stared at him in disbelief. Scott wasn't one to give into his emotions so easily.

"Exactly that, Scott," the professor replied without reaction to Scott's outburst.

Rogue saw Jean interlock her fingers with Scott's, instantly succeeding in calming him down. Rogue smiled grimly because she had a fair idea of what was coming next. The room had broken into a series of muted conversations, creating a buzzing sound that seemed to be swelling.

"How is Kale using him to his advantage?" Rogue asked.

The room fell silent again and everyone turned their eyes expectantly towards Professor Xavier.

"From what I could understand from his mind it seems as if he has convinced Lance that he is, in fact, his little brother named Joshua. That was all that I was able to get without him becoming aware of me."

"Aware of you?" Rogue felt her eyebrow shoot up.

"He is one of those people who can sense these things. It is as if he is 'hyper aware' to what mutants can do."

Rogue saw the distaste that the professor felt for people such as Kale as he spoke. She felt someone rest a hand on her shoulder and she knew, almost instantly, that it was Kurt. Ever since they had found out that they were brother and sister he had always kept an eye out for her and, in her own way, she had looked out for him.

"So, the question is do we tell Kitty?" Rogue drawled.

"I think we should." The professor was staring directly at her and she knew that Kitty would handle the news better coming from her rather than him.

"I'll do it," Jean volunteered.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Jean. Ah'll take this one."

"Thank you Jean and thank you Rogue," the professor murmured before leaving the room.

Rogue gave Jean a small smile and, to her surprise, Jean smiled warmly back. Rogue nodded her head in acknowledgement. They might have their differences but Rogue was beginning to realise that Jean wasn't as bad as she thought.

"Do you want me to come with you, sis?"

"That's okay, fuzzball. Ah think Ah can handle it."

Kurt nodded once before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Rogue stood where she was for a few minutes, trying to organise her thoughts before going off in search of Kitty.

She was going to try the danger room first and was heading in that direction when she saw Lorna coming towards her. She was hard to miss with her vivid hair. It made Rogue all to aware how lucky she was to at least have a few year of normalcy before her powers erupted. Others, like Kurt and Lorna, were different from birth.

"Lorna, have you seen Kitty anywhere?"

Lorna looked up, her eyes widening in shock as she registered the fact that she wasn't alone.

"Sorry Rogue, I didn't see you there. What did you say?"

"Have you seen Kitty?" Rogue repeated.

Lorna cocked her head to one side. "I think she is in her room."

"Thanks, Lorna," Rogue called over her shoulder.

"No problem."

As she neared the room that Kitty now lived in she was surprised to hear some very familiar sounding music. None of it was Kitty's favourite. When they had shared a room Rogue had become use to hearing the Diva's blaring through Kitty's headphones.

She knocked on the door and stood there for a moment, wondering whether Kitty heard her or not. After a few minutes she tried again. When Kitty didn't reply Rogue got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She tried the door handle and wasn't surprised when it turned easily. She pushed the door open and found herself standing in a room that was decorated in her tastes but a room that was empty at the same time.

"Damn it." She swore under her breath as she moved over to Kitty's bed. It was there that she found the note.

_I have to go back. It's my fault that Lance was killed and there are others there that I have to help. If anyone is going to kill Aidan Kale it will be me._

_Kitty._

"Damn it, damn it, damn it."

Rogue stared around the room and was surprised to see a pair of familiar boots lying on the ground. She was even more surprised when she heard a groan of pain. She moved to the other side of Kitty's bed.

Gambit sat up slowly, rubbing his head. One of his eyes was already turning a brilliant shade of purple.

"Don't tell me...there were several of them and they were seven feet tall." Rogue tried to hold back the laugh but she couldn't. He had been beaten by a former Valley-girl.

He looked up at her and grinned sheepishly.

"We have to tell the professor," Rogue said, trying to hide a grin.

"At least you can laugh about it, Chere."

Kitty slipped through the gates easily. Eve since she had been back she had been drilling herself in the danger room. Kale had done one thing right, he had taught her some new tricks and he had taught her not to care about anyone or anything. She was determined to finish what Lance had started. She was going to kill Aidan Kale and she was going to enjoy it very much.

To Be Continued...

A/N – Hope you enjoy...


End file.
